Chapter 51 Section 4 The Art of Subtraction

Jobs was a minimalist at heart.This nature was exposed very early on.Sculley once said: "What distinguishes Jobs' methodology from everyone else is that he always believes that the most important decision you make is not what you do, but what you don't do. He is a simple Activists." Microsoft founder Paul Allen (Paul Allen) mentioned such a story in the book "Idea Man" (Idea Man) published in 2011, which revealed the early history of Microsoft.When Microsoft helped Apple develop the Macintosh version of Excel software, Allen visited Jobs in Silicon Valley to learn about Macintosh computers and graphical user interface technology.Jobs showed Allen the Macintosh prototype and the graphical user interface controlled by the mouse on the spot.

When Allen saw that the mouse used by Jobs for demonstration had only one button, he asked Jobs curiously: "Wouldn't it be better if there were two buttons on the mouse?" Jobs replied, "You know, Paul, it's all about the trade-off between simplicity and sophistication. No one needs two or more buttons to use a mouse." "But Steve," Allen said, "since people have more than one finger, they might want a right-click feature." Jobs shook his head, dismissing Allen's suggestion.The idea of ​​having multiple buttons on the mouse, while reasonable, contradicted Jobs' mania for simplicity.

At Microsoft, what designers try to balance is the relationship between simplicity and function: when a new feature breaks the original simple design, but brings more functions to the program or device, Microsoft designers always tend to preserve such properties. But at Apple, designers think in the opposite way. They balance the relationship between user experience and complexity: when new features introduce complexity and hurt the original simple and smooth user experience, Apple of designers would rather forego additional functionality than keep the user experience perfect. Therefore, for many years, the mouse configured by Apple computers has been unique, with only one button, which is completely different from the two-button and three-button mice of the IBM PC camp.Beginners always complain that IBM PC's two-button and three-button mice are difficult to control, and they don't know the purpose of each button; computer experts, on the contrary, always complain that Apple's one-button mouse is difficult to quickly achieve specific functions, and it is necessary to simulate Operations such as right-clicking also require the cooperation of the control keys on the keyboard.

Two design systems and two styles of mice have always coexisted. In this field, no one really wins. They represent two completely different thinking modes.Until recent years, Apple began to use a large number of multi-point touchpads to replace traditional mice on computers, which promoted another important change in the field of graphical user interfaces.In contrast to the PC camp, the design of the mouse is still in the era of two buttons and three buttons, and Apple is left behind. The quest for simplicity came in large part from Jobs' experience of practicing Zen Buddhism as a teenager.Jobs often said: "The most important decision in life is not what you do, but what you don't do."This kind of Zen machine of "let me take a scoop to drink no matter how weak the water is, is more or less reflected in every product of Apple.

When designing the iPod, Ive said: "In a sense, what we are really doing is constantly subtracting from the design." The idea of ​​subtractive design runs through the design of iPod products.In addition to not providing an on/off key, the iPod also concentrates all four function keys on the central wheel, and the entire player does not have any redundant control interface. When it came time to develop the iPhone, it was possible for Jobs and Ive to minimize the user-operable elements because of the introduction of the multi-touch display.At that time, Jobs repeatedly told the design team that all existing mobile phones were too complicated and too difficult to operate, and Apple needed a mobile phone that was extremely simple.

Therefore, in the initial stage of designing the iPhone, Jobs gave the design team a dead order: only one control button is needed on the iPhone panel. Designers and engineers racked their brains and couldn't figure out how to use one control key to complete all operating functions.They ran to Jobs again and again, stating the reason why there must be multiple buttons on the phone panel.Every week at the design review meeting, someone would say to Jobs, "That's not possible." Jobs was deaf to these cries.He just said flatly: "There will be only one button on the front of the iPhone. Go get it."

No one knows why Jobs was so sure there must be a good one-button solution.Perhaps, Jobs just played the role of a customer at that time, and he just used his unique way to ask designers and engineers for the coolest, simplest product that can really change the world. Therefore, the iPhone we hold in our hands today, including the iPad later, only has a large and easy-to-press round button on the front panel.Even at the beginning of 2011, when Apple tested the new multi-touch interaction method in the new version of the iOS operating system, many people predicted that the future iPhone and iPad tablet computers will truly achieve "zero buttons" on the front panel.

Lu Jian told the author that when Apple developed iMovie video editing software, because iMovie was positioned at consumers, the design of the user interface was very simple, but Jobs still thought the interface was too complicated.Jobs said: "More than 95% of users don't do any editing or special effects before uploading videos. For these users, iMovie is still too complicated." Jobs asked the iMovie design team to simplify the design again and again until the entire The user interface and operation process are simple enough that every user can use it directly without a user manual.

Lu Jian commented: "Many of Apple's employees have been injected with the gene of pursuit of perfection and simplicity. Every time they design a product, they will continue to deliberate, pursuing the simplest and most elegant way of expression, not just stop at the made The first product design." Obviously, Apple's deep-rooted pursuit of simplicity came from Jobs, and it was Jobs who made subtraction a classic method in product design.