--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you want to make something simple…" description: "\"“If you want to make something simple, design for the multitude.”\" — Giles Colborne" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4b/giles-colborne-23036_design_if-you-want-to-make-something-simple-des_2901216.jpg" --- # If you want to make something simple, design for the… ![“If you want to make something simple, design for the multitude.” quote by Giles Colborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4b/giles-colborne-23036_design_if-you-want-to-make-something-simple-des_2901216.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4b/giles-colborne-23036_design_if-you-want-to-make-something-simple-des_2901216.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4b/giles-colborne-23036_design_if-you-want-to-make-something-simple-des_2901216.jpg) > ““If you want to make something simple, design for the multitude.”” [Giles Colborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-colborne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Simplicity for broad audiences requires designing for many users. **In simple terms:** Design simply by considering many users. Key Takeaway Design for the many, not just the few. Themes design simplicity mass market Mood pragmatic forward-looking Type strategic inspirational When to use this quote - product development - software UI - public services - marketing Key Concepts User-centered design scalability Questions to Reflect On - Who benefits most from simple design? - When is complexity justified? A Different Perspective Simplicity can limit specialized features. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) ## Related quotes > [Simple design, intense content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/simple-design-intense-content/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Keep a sharp lookout upon your materials; get rid of every pound of material you can do without; put to yourself the question what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-maudslay/keep-a-sharp-lookout-upon-your-materials-get-rid-of-every-pound-of/) Henry Maudslay > [I'm a big fan of simplicity, especially with songs and I try not to make them complicated. 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But it’s worth it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/simple-can-be-harder-than-complex-you-have-to-work-hard-to-get-your/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [To make this simple, I want you and i, to be us ..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaypee/to-make-this-simple-i-want-you-and-i-to-be-us/) [Jaypee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaypee/) > [Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/make-everything-as-simple-as-possible-but-not-simpler/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I don't know cooking at all, but I think I can make simple tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-randhawa/i-don-t-know-cooking-at-all-but-i-think-i-can-make-simple-tea/) [Guru Randhawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-randhawa/) > [That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. 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It only means that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-colborne/simplicity-does-not-mean-want-or-poverty-it-does-not-mean-the-absence/) [Giles Colborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-colborne/) > [“It’s been pointed out that products that start out simple often end up getting so complex they cease to be useful. But if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-colborne/it-s-been-pointed-out-that-products-that-start-out-simple-often-end/) [Giles Colborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-colborne/) > [“Continually adding features to software turns out to be equally unsustainable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-colborne/continually-adding-features-to-software-turns-out-to-be-equally/) [Giles Colborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-colborne/) > [“At home, at work, and outdoors, you must design for constant interruptions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-colborne/at-home-at-work-and-outdoors-you-must-design-for-constant/) [Giles Colborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-colborne/) > [“Begin with that need—the user’s need to feel in control of some part of his life—then try to dig deeper by asking, “So what?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-colborne/begin-with-that-need-the-user-s-need-to-feel-in-control-of-some-part/) [Giles Colborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-colborne/) > [“Mainstreamers are interested in getting the job done now; experts are interested in customizing their settings first. • Mainstreamers value ease of control; experts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-colborne/mainstreamers-are-interested-in-getting-the-job-done-now-experts-are/) [Giles Colborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-colborne/) > [“Simple user experiences need to work for a novice, or a mainstreamer who’s under pressure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-colborne/simple-user-experiences-need-to-work-for-a-novice-or-a-mainstreamer/) [Giles Colborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-colborne/) > [“Visiting users in their workplaces was vital—if we’d simply imagined the manager at his desk we would have missed the crucial aspects. 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Your personal choice plays a big role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/design-is-a-very-personal-thing-it-s-like-art-your-personal-choice/) [Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/) > [“Designing posters, for me, is not only a commercial pursuit but also a philosophical endeavor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fang-chen/designing-posters-for-me-is-not-only-a-commercial-pursuit-but-also-a/) Fang Chen > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [Users are not designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. 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