Less, but better

I've been reading Greg McKeown's Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. I started it to boost my productivity, but I quickly realized it’s an excellent metaphor for UX design—and life!

Applying Essentialism to UX and product design is about changing our thinking and moving past just chasing trends like reductionism and minimalism. A while ago, the design buzzword of the day was 'reductionism,' which was basically about cutting things down to the essentials—sometimes making stuff harder to use. Conversely, minimalism aims for a clean and classy look, but it can still have some elements that don't help users hit their goals.

"Essentialism" is a profound design philosophy: Identify only what matters and maximize its impact on users and business objectives.

I followed the thought through to User Research, here is what I came up with:

→ Minimalist research: is about simplifying research without focusing on what's truly valuable.

→ Reductionist research: is about stripping things down without considering the broader context or goals, potentially missing essential insights.

→ Essentialist research focuses only on what's truly meaningful and impactful, aligning research with goals and purpose.

When I consider how this applies to product design, my aesthetic leans toward minimalism, but my UX heart beats most wildly for essentialism.