If you take a look at the reasons we create web apps, it boils down to mainly one thing: organization. With that in mind, it makes sense that we keep organization simple. If we don’t, we get wrapped up in everything that had us disorganized in the first place. Simple. Is. Better. 

Veteran creative director Rich Barrett recently talked to readwriteweb about some of the online trends he sees today. 

Barrett said he’s seen apps become smaller, simpler, and more streamlined – perhaps to be more mobile browser-friendly. 

“Simplicity is key so that the design can either work on both web and mobile devices or at least be consistent with the simple design of the mobile version.“  

Web apps can become complex and try to accomplish too much. It’s easy to get carried away when you realize all the angles you can take, but it’s important to keep the main objective of your app in focus. The great thing is that the app can be tailored specifically to solve your problem- but it should be done in the simplest form. Clean code, simple html and css. Once you add all the extra code, layers, functions and other buttons, it becomes too much. The leaner you are, meaning the less weight and baggage you carry, the easier it is to change. That’s imperative in today’s fast-pace technological age.

[On readwriteweb.com], Barrett spoke to the tendency to flood users with options rather than making decisive design choices. 

“I think a lot of apps try to be everything to everyone so they overload their interface with features to try to be as useful as possible. I appreciate clean and simple applications, even if it means that you have to direct the user more and limit their choices.”

Don’t lose sight of the app’s look and feel, though. 

“There are rare cases where an app’s mind-blowing functionality can override any other concerns but otherwise users tend to make a decision about an application’s usefulness to them within the first few moments of using it. Aesthetics play a major part in that decision.”

So get lost in your work, but lose yourself in the simplicity of structure, design, and usability.
 
Read the entire article here.