Reading Response 1&2

Response (#1)

John Maeda discussed what he calls the, “Ten Laws”. The laws which included; reduce, organize, differences, and time, just to name a few. He then goes more in depth on some products that have been prosperous from making simplicity through complexity an important part of their products. One instance of a product that utilizes simplicity in the design, that Maeda mentions, is flat-screen displays and LCD’s. Televisions, like the LCD’s, use minimal structural support to give the look that the t.v. is floating to make it seem thinner than it is. In today’s day and age technology is becoming smaller and this gives people a since of control. However, with smaller technology comes more complexity and complexity can be overbearing. Simplicity helps in hiding the complexity from the user and preventing overwhelmed users. Simplicity is not meant to deduce meaning but rather help in the management of complexity.

Response (#2)

In the Second chapter of, “The Laws of Simplicity”, Maeda discusses organization and its importance in simplicity. This is the process of condensing the complexity into manageable groups. One example of this he brought up was the evolution of the Ipod controls, and how they transformed from multiple buttons into one fluid circular wheel that controls everything. Minimizing controls without minimizing functions was one way in which designers can simplify solutions and create high quality designs. Maeda also discussed methods that can make organization of materials simpler. He mentioned using labels or setting up tables (similar to a matrix) to organize data and condense information.