Design

sad to watch great software die a slow death by way of complexity seeping into every crevice. simplicity is worth defending. notion, figma, and spotify all prime examples. RIP

I agree with every take in this thread but it makes me curious how does a designer committed to simplicity scale their design to meet evolving user needs without introducing complexity? 

Do you just cut off new features and build something new? IRL we see product extensions vs bloating existing products.

ATL raised. 🐦‍🔥 // Design, music, coffee, bikes, community. //
Head of Design @decentdao

I think the short answer is: it's hard, and it depends.

Certainly not opposed to products evolving and improving, but designers should be skeptical by default and know the difference between solving user problems and being hired hands in a feature factory. As you mentioned, pruning + maintenance plays a role too

Taking the Figma search feature as an example: This is a core product area that IMO should be optimized around speed. Adding granular filters there (instead of on the results screen, for example) seems bizarre and adds unnecessary weight/complexity to a high-traffic surface area.