Jobs understood that true simplicity required a deep understanding of the underlying challenges and a relentless pursuit of elegant solutions. "It takes a lot of hard work," he said, "to make something simple, to truly understand the underlying challenges and come up with elegant solutions." This dedication to elegant reduction was evident in every aspect of his product development process:
Jobs believed that a product’s design should reflect its core essence, not just be a superficial veneer. He often said, "Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers." This philosophy led to a close integration of design, engineering, and manufacturing at Apple. The design process was not merely about aesthetics; it was about understanding the soul of a product and expressing that essence through every layer, from the internal circuitry to the external casing to the packaging.
iMac: The translucent, colorful case of the iMac not only made a bold design statement but also revealed the machine's inner workings, showcasing the craftsmanship of its components and wiring.
iPod: The iconic white earbuds and minimalist interface of the iPod were not merely aesthetic choices; they reflected Jobs's belief that the device should disappear and let the music be the focus.
iPhone 4: Jobs's insistence on a seamless, all-glass front for the iPhone 4 led to a design that was both beautiful and functional, but it also contributed to the "Antennagate" controversy, highlighting the potential pitfalls of prioritizing aesthetics over engineering considerations.
Jobs was obsessed with creating products that were intuitively easy to use. He believed that technology should be subservient to human needs and desires. "The main thing in our design is that we have to make things intuitively obvious," he declared. This led to a relentless focus on simplifying user interfaces, stripping away unnecessary buttons, menus, and features.
"Three Clicks": Jobs's famous "three-click rule" dictated that users should be able to navigate to any function or content within three clicks.
Eliminating Options: He often pushed his team to eliminate features and options, believing that too many choices could overwhelm users.
Intuitive Navigation: Jobs championed intuitive navigation schemes, such as the iPod’s scroll wheel and the iPhone's multi-touch interface, that allowed users to interact with devices naturally and effortlessly.
"Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer – that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."
"You've got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology – not the other way around."
Jobs believed in a process of elegant reduction, relentlessly seeking to eliminate anything that was not essential. "We make progress by eliminating things," he said. This philosophy was evident in everything from the sleek lines of his products to the spare furnishings in his own home. He believed that by stripping away the superfluous, the essence of a product would shine through.
Original Macintosh: Jobs insisted on eliminating cursor keys from the original Macintosh keyboard, forcing users to embrace the mouse and encouraging developers to write software specifically for the Mac's graphical interface.
iPod Shuffle: Jobs's decision to eliminate the screen from the iPod Shuffle was a radical simplification that highlighted the device's core function: playing music randomly.
One-Button Mouse: Apple's iconic one-button mouse, in contrast to the complex multi-button mice of the time, exemplified Jobs's dedication to elegant reduction.
"That's been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."
"When you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through."