Why Simple Solutions Win

Technical teams drift toward complexity. Leaders guide them toward what customers actually need.

Technical people (like me) often over-complicate what is needed.

The refrain in my head goes something like this: if a product is technical and detailed, then it is better. That is rarely true.

I have had countless meetings with clients where I roll out a detailed solution that handles every edge case and gives them the Ferrari. Their reaction makes it clear they want a Toyota Corolla.

So how do we, as leaders and developers, push back on the pull of complexity? We narrow our focus to two things: the customer and the outcome.

Customer Focus

Amazon calls itself “customer obsessed.” Yet its interfaces can feel cluttered and confusing. Menus everywhere. Options that are hard to find.

The lesson is not that Amazon is pretending. Their obsession targets the outcomes customers value most: low prices, fast and reliable delivery, a huge selection, and easy returns. The UX can be messy, but the overall result works, and the business results prove it.

That is the same tension every technical leader faces. Your team may want to perfect the architecture or cover every edge case. Customers care far more about what the product helps them do. Your job is to keep the focus on the outcome, not the elegance.

Make the work more customer true with a few habits:

• Document the current customer process.
• Ask questions instead of assuming.
• Deliver what is needed first, not the entire roadmap.
• Iterate quickly.
• Put product in front of the customer early.

The hardest part is helping developers accept simple over comprehensive. Remind them they are solving the customer’s problem, not building to impress other developers.

The Outcome

The outcome is the true focus of any solution. Not the elegance of abstractions. Not the newest pattern. The outcome.

Your role as a leader is to make the desired outcome unmistakable.

Use a clear user story:

As a [Who], I want to [What], so that I can [Why].

Example:

As a day trader, I want to see the price of a stock as of the last minute on the New York Stock Exchange, so that I can choose to buy or sell.

Your team will likely say, “Yes, and what if we add a feature to predict the price five minutes from now?” Say no. Or say, “Interesting idea. Let’s ask the customer after we deliver what they asked for.”

Do Not Lose Sight of the Goal

Teams that win over time stay focused on the customer and the outcome. Nothing else.

This focus takes practice, but the benefits compound.

Here’s to staying focused.

— Shaun

Shaun Davis, your personal data therapist, understands your unique challenges and helps you navigate through the data maze. With keen insight, he discerns the signal from the noise, tenaciously finding the right solutions to guide you through the ever-growing data landscape. Shaun has partnered for 10 years with top data teams to turn their data into profitable and efficiency hunting action. Learn more about Shaun.