---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Customers want new functionality, but…"
description: "\"Customers want new functionality, but they don't want the traditional complexity that has marred products in the past.\" — Marc Benioff"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d7/marc-benioff-5986_complexity_customers-want-new-functionality-but-the_973667.png"
---

#  Customers want new functionality, but they don't want the…

![“Customers want new functionality, but they don't want the traditional complexity that has marred products in the past.” quote by Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d7/marc-benioff-5986_complexity_customers-want-new-functionality-but-the_973667.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d7/marc-benioff-5986_complexity_customers-want-new-functionality-but-the_973667.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d7/marc-benioff-5986_complexity_customers-want-new-functionality-but-the_973667.png)

> “Customers want new functionality, but they don't want the traditional complexity that has marred products in the past.”

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Customers desire new features but reject the complexity that historically plagued products.

**In simple terms:** People want simplicity with innovation.

Key Takeaway

Design intuitive, user‑friendly solutions.

Themes

innovation simplicity user experience

Mood

analytical pragmatic

Type

advice business

When to use this quote

- software development
- product management
- UX design

Key Concepts

product design complexity reduction

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you simplify without sacrificing functionality?
- What processes add unnecessary complexity?

A Different Perspective

Balancing novelty and ease can be challenging.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Complexity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity/) [Complexity Marred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity-marred-1887301/) [Customers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customers/) [Customers Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customers-want/) [Functionality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/functionality/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [New Functionality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-functionality-1887302/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Products](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/products/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Traditional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditional/) [Traditional Complexity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditional-complexity-1887303/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Traditional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-traditional-630427/)

## Related quotes

> [If the lyrics are something new, then maybe I want to give it a more traditional form, or the other way around, but not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/if-the-lyrics-are-something-new-then-maybe-i-want-to-give-it-a-more/)

[Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/)

> [I want the traditional family upheld, but I don't want it upheld to the detriment of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-want-the-traditional-family-upheld-but-i-don-t-want-it-upheld-to/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

> [As a woman who grew up in a village in India, I've spent my whole life fighting tradition. There's no way that I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-a-woman-who-grew-up-in-a-village-in-india-i-ve-spent-my-whole-life/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [I want to be a traditional king first and foremost, building on the tradition of my predecessors standing for continuity and stability in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-alexander-prince-of-orange/i-want-to-be-a-traditional-king-first-and-foremost-building-on-the/)

[Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-alexander-prince-of-orange/)

> [Nowadays, independence is so promoted, it would be crazy for me to say I'd want a traditional woman who wants to stay at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omarion/nowadays-independence-is-so-promoted-it-would-be-crazy-for-me-to-say/)

[Omarion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omarion/)

> [Still others want a traditional guitar sound if they call you for guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-white/still-others-want-a-traditional-guitar-sound-if-they-call-you-for/)

[Mark White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-white/)

> [I always want to have the traditional country soul while meeting the new standards of country music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-pardi/i-always-want-to-have-the-traditional-country-soul-while-meeting-the/)

[Jon Pardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-pardi/)

> [Google is in a position where it doesn't even have to strive to become a hip, conscious choice. Brands are temporary fads. Functionality is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/google-is-in-a-position-where-it-doesn-t-even-have-to-strive-to/)

[Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/)

> [This project started nearly twenty years ago as an assignment in my typography class at art school. Students were encouraged to see letters beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ji-lee/this-project-started-nearly-twenty-years-ago-as-an-assignment-in-my/)

[Ji Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ji-lee/)

> [“Functionality still matters, of course. But competition has pushed quality so high and prices so low that many manufacturers can no longer distinguish themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/functionality-still-matters-of-course-but-competition-has-pushed/)

[Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/)

> [Our ultimate goal is extensible programming. By this, we mean the construction of hierarchies of modules, each module adding new functionality to the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niklaus-wirth/our-ultimate-goal-is-extensible-programming-by-this-we-mean-the/)

[Niklaus Wirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niklaus-wirth/)

> [When I was little, I just was very tuned in to the functionality and aesthetics of things around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/when-i-was-little-i-just-was-very-tuned-in-to-the-functionality-and/)

[Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/)

> [I'm not looking to step in and make 'big, bold changes' - I think reddit is great, and the team has a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yishan-wong/i-m-not-looking-to-step-in-and-make-big-bold-changes-i-think-reddit/)

[Yishan Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yishan-wong/)

> [I like modern efficiencies and functionality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-scott/i-like-modern-efficiencies-and-functionality/)

[Drew Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-scott/)

> [It's not so much about form versus functionality. Rather, it's about doing both and doing them a lot and doing them well-and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-not-so-much-about-form-versus-functionality-rather-it-s-about/)

[Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/)

## More by Marc Benioff

> [I think everybody understands how important the cloud is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/i-think-everybody-understands-how-important-the-cloud-is/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [A lot was happening in A.I. But I also realized it wasn't clear what Salesforce's role in A.I. was. That's when we started acquiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/a-lot-was-happening-in-a-i-but-i-also-realized-it-wasn-t-clear-what/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [Businesses cannot be extricated or disintermediated from the communities they serve. Businesses who do that will do that at their own peril. They will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/businesses-cannot-be-extricated-or-disintermediated-from-the/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [As we talk about devices, you should never forget that behind every one there is a person - a customer. It“s not the Internet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/as-we-talk-about-devices-you-should-never-forget-that-behind-every/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [I also think that employees these days expect less of a separation of work and personal life. That doesn't mean that work tasks should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/i-also-think-that-employees-these-days-expect-less-of-a-separation-of/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [You must always be able to predict what's next and then have the flexibility to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/you-must-always-be-able-to-predict-what-s-next-and-then-have-the/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [Life grows relative to one’s investment in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/life-grows-relative-to-one-s-investment-in-it/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [Technology's always taken jobs out of the system, and what you hope is that technology's going to put those jobs back in, too. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/technology-s-always-taken-jobs-out-of-the-system-and-what-you-hope-is/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [If someone asks me what cloud computing is, I try not to get bogged down with definitions. I tell them that, simply put, cloud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/if-someone-asks-me-what-cloud-computing-is-i-try-not-to-get-bogged/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [I've worked with a variety of presidents over the years on both sides of the aisle and congressmen and senators, so I'm not into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/i-ve-worked-with-a-variety-of-presidents-over-the-years-on-both-sides/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [When I get something in my head, it's hard for me to just let it go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/when-i-get-something-in-my-head-it-s-hard-for-me-to-just-let-it-go/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [Don't forget to do something for other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/don-t-forget-to-do-something-for-other-people/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [You need to get to the future, ahead of your customers, and be ready to greet them when they arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/you-need-to-get-to-the-future-ahead-of-your-customers-and-be-ready-to/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [Most of all, I discovered that in order to succeed with a product, you must truly get to know your customers and build something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/most-of-all-i-discovered-that-in-order-to-succeed-with-a-product-you/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [Mult-Tenancyi is really the future of our industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/mult-tenancyi-is-really-the-future-of-our-industry/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

[Explore all 100 Marc Benioff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

## More Complexity quotes

> [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/)

[Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/)

> [From the 1990s onward, the financial sector created a vast array of instruments designed to separate investors from their money, financial derivatives of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-casti/from-the-1990s-onward-the-financial-sector-created-a-vast-array-of/)

[John L. Casti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-casti/)

> [Being actors we are dealing with the beauty and complexity of human confusion, no? And we are always trying to get answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/being-actors-we-are-dealing-with-the-beauty-and-complexity-of-human/)

[Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/)

> [ \[In science any model depends on a pre-chosen taxonomy\] a set of classifications into which we divide the enormous complexity of the real world...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/in-science-any-model-depends-on-a-pre-chosen-taxonomy-a-set-of/)

[Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/)

> [The complexity increases exponentially when you try and combine two companies that both need to be restructured in their own right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-waitt/the-complexity-increases-exponentially-when-you-try-and-combine-two/)

[Ted Waitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-waitt/)

> [We're in this strange age where we can't say 'I love you,' at least not sincerely. It's something where, if you simplify it, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoffer-boe/we-re-in-this-strange-age-where-we-can-t-say-i-love-you-at-least-not/)

[Christoffer Boe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoffer-boe/)

> [I've realized that life is indeed full of contradictions. Sometimes its crazy to be sane.You need to fall to fly. People suffer because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-realized-that-life-is-indeed-full-of-contradictions-sometimes/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Calvin: The more you know, the harder it is to take decisive action. Once you are informed, you start seeing complexities and shades of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-the-more-you-know-the-harder-it-is-to-take-decisive-action/)

[Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/)

> [As we get more transparent with data sets about infrastructure and systems management, I have a feeling we'll see big changes in how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-koblin/as-we-get-more-transparent-with-data-sets-about-infrastructure-and/)

[Aaron Koblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-koblin/)

> [Show me a person without prejudice of any kind on any subject and I'll show you someone who may be admirably virtuous but is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/show-me-a-person-without-prejudice-of-any-kind-on-any-subject-and-i/)

[Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/)

> [We're all complex human beings, and if some of that complexity shows through, I think it's advantageous for the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-de-bont/we-re-all-complex-human-beings-and-if-some-of-that-complexity-shows/)

[Jan de Bont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-de-bont/)

> [The base of artistic pursuit is ambivalence and complexity. And that's what I try to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-perez/the-base-of-artistic-pursuit-is-ambivalence-and-complexity-and-that-s/)

[Fernando Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-perez/)

> [If you want to gain market share at your competitor's expense - look for a customer that's suffering from too much complexity and simplify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cohan/if-you-want-to-gain-market-share-at-your-competitor-s-expense-look/)

[Peter Cohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cohan/)

> [What music is better able to do than language is to represent the complexity of human emotional states.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/what-music-is-better-able-to-do-than-language-is-to-represent-the/)

[Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/)

> [I have become convinced, through my studies, that the only way to achieve a safe, just and viable world is to live by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-have-become-convinced-through-my-studies-that-the-only-way-to/)

[Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/)

[Browse all 1,258 Complexity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Customers want new functionality, but they don't want the traditional complexity that has marred products in the past.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marc Benioff"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/customers-want-new-functionality-but-they-don-t-want-the-traditional/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Complexity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/customers-want-new-functionality-but-they-don-t-want-the-traditional/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d7/marc-benioff-5986_complexity_customers-want-new-functionality-but-the_973667.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d7/marc-benioff-5986_complexity_customers-want-new-functionality-but-the_973667.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d7/marc-benioff-5986_complexity_customers-want-new-functionality-but-the_973667.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Customers want new functionality, but they don't want the traditional complexity that has marred products in…” — Marc Benioff",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Marc Benioff",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Customers want new functionality, but they...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/customers-want-new-functionality-but-they-don-t-want-the-traditional/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/customers-want-new-functionality-but-they-don-t-want-the-traditional/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
