In a world where everyone is adding another textbox, checkbox or dropdown menu to their applications every day it might make sense to step back a little and ask yourself if those additions really added any value.

In this blog post I will focus on iceberg applications – applications that feature a maximally simplified user interface hiding a big mountain of technology in the background. Hopefully you will find the examples given relevant enough to admit that some of the best tools around are actually icebergs.

Definition

An iceberg application or service is defined by a minimalistic and simplified interface, masking a complicated system in the background.

This definition applies to physical objects as well. Another thing that needs to be clarified at this point is the interface – every piece of an object that can interact with the external world (or be interacted with) is an interface. This includes APIs, which are often not regarded as interfaces by product designers.

Examples

Google search

Really simplified interface. Just a text box in addition to basic links. One small textbox masks a huge software engine in the background that does almost all of the work before search results are displayed.

The original iPod

Again, the original iPod is masking (for that time) advanced technology required to decode and play music files behind a single wheel and a single button. The process of getting the music from the disc, decode it and transform it to sound is abstracted from the user and the interface.

Good old telephone

Fixed line telephony is also a great example of an iceberg service. The user only sees a device with a really simplified user interface and is not aware of what is going on in the background. The user does not have the option to use a specific codec, select the type of messages that need to be passed or enter any authentication details in order to make a phone call. Once again, the interface abstracts the technology to a point where the user does not have to worry about it.

Good old TV

The final example is well known to all of us. The one device that could be the king of iceberg apps (but is not). In the old days TVs had only two buttons. One for turning it on. And one (round) for searching channels. Users did not have to understand how the signal is coded, modulated, decoded and then shown. Because of a feature frenzy the TV is a nightmare today. 105 buttons on every remote for functions that are merely useful (and are really used every once in a while).

Similarities

What all this products have in common is that the complexity is hidden under the surface. The interface to interact with them is relatively compact, compared to what is hidden in the background.

Weighting flexibility against simplicity

Of course you might argue that if complexity is hidden things are not customizable or hackable. You do not get to decide what protocol to use, or what frequency a signal is going to be broadcasted. If you are a geek/nerd (pick the title that suites you better) you probably won’t believe this, but most people really do not care how things work if they get the job done. However, they do care about what kind of effort is required from them, and if the level of effort required vs. outcome value is to high they will just switch to an simpler alternative where this ratio is better. This does not apply to professional products where you want to have control of every possible detail.

That is why I believe iceberg apps, with simple interfaces and a lot of hidden magic will always be more successful than the ones that expose all the complexity to the user.