Does simple design really work? To answer that question, yes. Take a look at iPods. They are simple in design and easy to use. In fact, they are a very popular product. If you take a look at many products today they are designed simply because people do not want to waste time reading a manual to figure out how things work. The same is true with gadgets and even in web design. In a study conducted by Google, results showed that users judge “visually complex” websites as less beautiful than their simpler counterparts.
But why?
Prototypicality is a mental image the brain creates to compartmentalize everything you interact with. It is a basic image of how everything looks and feels. So when you say furniture, your brain builds a basic image of what it should look and feels like for you. Call it a mental template.
When you move to other things like websites, your brain breaks it down to smaller categories. A person has different but specific images for blogs, social media, or e-commerce sites. If a particular website is missing something from your mental image, your brain will subconsciously reject the website.
This is partly because your brain craves familiarity. If you are used to blogs having opt-ins at the bottom of the page or e-commerce sites having high resolution photos, this is what your brain is conditioned to think. Your brain came up with certain standards and deviating from said standard puts you in the “less beautiful” category.
Simple Is Easier To Process
The reason why simple designs work is because it does not require the eyes and brain to physically work hard to decode, store and process the information. When you look at a website, the retina converts the real word image into electrical impulses, which travel to the photoreceptor cells to transmit color and information to the brain. The more complex a design, the more color and information your eyes have to transmit to the brain.
The simpler an image, gadget, or website is, the easier it is for the brain to process.
Working Memory
All of these lead us to how visual information find its way to your brain. Working memory refers to the part of the brain where temporary information is stored. This is what allows you to focus, resist distraction and guide you during decision making.
Research by psychologist George A Miller of Princeton discovered that adults can store 5-9 chunks of information in their short term memory. The point of simplicity is to guarantee storage in short term memory. By reducing the amount of “noise” in an image, the more it is retained.
On a low complexity, high prototypical website, information like price, product description and guarantee are just some of the things your short term memory is trying to process. If the working memory can stay focused in understanding information, the faster it can reach a decision.
Most of the time, the brain isn’t really trying to “judge” your website or gadget as simple or complex; it’s just wondering why some things aren’t where they’re supposed to be. This is not good if you’re trying to get them to buy stuff or try a new product. This is why a simple design is the best. It doesn’t stress the brain and helps it process information faster.
