Keep It Simple, Stupid!

One of the more memorable things I learnt while at school was the number one rule of design: Keep It Simple Stupid!

It's another way of saying that complexity is inherently dangerous, and should therefore be avoided. But the key realisation that I want to draw out in this blog post is just how widely this edict should be applied.

ALL code is evil. Every time you serialise a thought into language, you are encoding it. Thus you create complexity. And the danger? You may be misunderstood. You may mislead. You may even offend. Hence the need to practice simplicity in the design of your sentences. Keep it simple.

One of the nicer features of Microsoft Word was when the style checker prompted you to use shorter sentences. Occasionally it was wrong, and the idea was best expressed at length. (And it was often wrong about the grammar.) But almost always the sentence in question could be simplified, shortened or just broken into two discrete sentences. One for each idea.

A recent cartoon from the most excellent XKCD series is an exercise in simplicity. By limiting oneself to simple language it is easy to be understood. It may sound a little like you are talking to children but if your intention is to convey meaning then simplicity is the best way to achieve it.

If conversely your desire to appear erudite and confound your audience, while obfuscating the content of your communication, exceeds your desire to enlighten then perhaps long sentences and an archaic multitude of polysyllabic words are preferable.