Be Simple and Easy
To borrow a mantra from Joseph Goldstein that’s been stuck in my head lately, I think the key to being a good digital product designer comes down this: “Be simple and easy.”
At the end of the day, this is really what motivates us to utilize digital tools. We use apps to order coffee because it shortcuts the line at the shop. We deposit checks with our bank apps because because it’s easier than walking to a branch. We use ride-share apps because it’s easier than frantically waving our hand at yellow cars speeding down the street. We use these tools because the interfaces are simple and they make completing everyday tasks easier. Since that’s really all customers want, I think it’s useful to always keep the phrase “be simple and easy” top of mind when delivering product designs.
An example of this approach that I delivered out in the wild was the revamped Loans page experience for BMO Harris Bank. While internally the project felt like a circus act of spinning plates between all of the product teams and back-end systems, I’m proud of the fact that the public facing output feels like an exercise in simplicity.
Demystifying the loan shopping experience