IN SEARCH OF TECHNO MINIMALISM

When will the cry of  “Less is more” be heard from technology companies? How I yearn for a Mies Iphone or some Seidleresque software. Although the idea of mimimalism finds proponents among the ranks of architects and designers, the technology industry has moved in an arms race of more is better. Modern technology devices and software may LOOK minimalist but behind the facade they are seething with unwanted and little used features. I mean, does anyone really even know what all those features and apps on a phone even do? Who uses all the preset options of their camera (or can even find them in the layers of menus). Who has really explored the toolbars of MS Word. Very few. We just want things to work.

I recently read that Apple’s market value has overtaken Microsoft’s. I am sure this is due to fatigue among users – Apple tends to conceal all the complexity behind elegant design, whereas Microsoft seems to bombard you with features and changed interfaces at every upgrade. And don’t even get me started on Autodesk…….

Simplicity trumps features. Bring us some techno austerity.