Every feature you add is a feature someone has to learn. Every option you provide is a decision someone has to make. The best products don’t win by having the most features—they win by removing everything that isn’t essential.
The Addition Trap
It’s natural to think of design as additive. User requests a feature? Add it. Competitor has something? Match it. This leads to bloated products that try to do everything and excel at nothing.
The essentialist approach is different: for every feature you consider adding, ask what you could remove instead.
Subtraction as Strategy
Apple didn’t win the MP3 player market by adding more buttons. They won by removing all but one. The iPod’s click wheel wasn’t just a design choice—it was a strategic decision to prioritize simplicity over flexibility.
Consider what happens when you remove:
- Settings — Can you pick sensible defaults instead?
- Options — Can you make the choice for the user?
- Features — Does this serve the core use case?
The Courage to Cut
Cutting features requires courage. You’re saying no to someone. But remember: a product that works perfectly for a specific use case is infinitely more valuable than one that works poorly for every use case.
Start with the essential. Ship that. Then, only if truly necessary, consider what might be added. But never forget to ask: what could we remove?