Sometimes

I play guitar in a band every now and again. Sometimes my role is to provide a lead line, other times it’s to providing a driving rhythm. The most enjoyable role however is tearing it up with a melodic solo that expresses everything you feel using everything you know. Most of time it’s fitting and compliments the song. But sometimes it’s unnecessary. Sometimes a song doesn’t call for you to solo all over every measure. Sometimes, it’s ok to play nothing at all.

When we design experiences for users, our bag of tricks is an abundant resource that we tap at will. We add polish and depth, reflection and gloss. Sometimes it’s magical and the design is killing it. But sometimes, maybe more times than not, it’s ok to remove the polish and depth, reflection and gloss. Sometimes, it’s ok to play nothing at all.