Less is More (Article Analysis)

Today's article is written by Matthew May and is from the HBR (article link) and it deals with the concept of less is more as a way to optimize innovation.

This article provided three ways to promote innovation, the first was elegance, the second was "loose reins", and the third was meditation. Of the three, elegance was the one that spoke to me most powerfully so I will focus on that, it is also the topic most strongly tied to entrepreneurship.


Elegance
Elegant has a few definitions but they all basically lead to a sort of refined excellence. This is close but not quite what the author means, as the author is using it more in line with how Mark Rosewater uses it in his seminal article on the topic (Article). The objective of elegance in design is in essence maximizing the impact while simplifying the delivery. This sounds simple and yet it can be extremely difficult to achieve, especially in an environment where inspiration leads to ideas leads to feature creep, bloat, and an eventual loss of clarity/purpose.

In an extremely competitive business landscape the temptation to add features and functionality seemingly ad nauseum in an effort to differentiate or maximize consumer perceived value is almost irresistible. Yet it is those who are able to resist this proverbial siren's call that actually get to market. Think of some of the biggest launches in recent history, how many of them are "elegant" versus "all-encompassing"? Instagram (mentioned in the article) does one thing and does it well, the iPad only performs certain computer functions but not others, the iPod originally only played mp3s, and so on. These services and devices did not attempt to be all things to all people, or to bombard the potential users with functionality. Sure you could conceivably add an email-like client to Instagram, perhaps add a real time instant messaging function, add video sharing support, and so on, but when you do so you dilute the product. The iPad does not come with productivity software, sure one could probably view documents and presentations but why would you want to do complex spreadsheet design or type out a 10 page paper on a tablet.

The Connection to Entrepreneurship
If entrepreneurship is about solving problems, then elegance is about making your solution focus on the problem you want to solve in a way that does not overwhelm customers. As the author states, elegance allows your value proposition to shine most clearly. If you continue to bury your value proposition under value adds that may or may not be germane to the problem you are solving, how will your customers find the value proposition? If your customers can not easily identify your value proposition, how do you convert them into patrons and users? Elegance is in the delivery, you want maximum punch with the optimal amount of leanness. Perceiving the problem is the first step, designing the solution is the second step, and delivering that solution in a succinct form that highlights your value proposition, that is elegance, and that is the crucial third step to entrepreneurial success.