Designing Nuance

Seth Godin's blog post yesterday was about designing for clarity, but recognizing that you can't always keep it simple enough so that EVERYONE can understand. That's a great thing for me to remember, since I can get myself tied up in knots making things "simple", often to the detriment of my goal!

He made a brilliant observation to that very point - it's better to make it clear how to find help if you're confused than it is to try and make complex things so simple that they lose their innate wonder and mystery:

"Great design is intuitive. Great design eliminates confusion. But not for everyone, not all the time. The words and interactions you use often have a sophistication that will confuse some portion of your audience.

Why not consider making it easy for the confused to ask for help? And treat them with respect when they do. If you don't create a little confusion, it's unlikely you've built something remarkable."

He goes on to step lightly into the point that what you offer just might not be for everyone, no matter how simple and accessible you make it. What a liberating concept!

I always find Seth Godin to be a great guide for honing the skills of nuanced communication, which is the essence of what it's all about for me.