The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Bloated Software
Time to Tidy Up
My daughter recently convinced my wife and me to read a book by Marie Kondo, the Japanese organizing consultant whose ideas have transformed closets and, for some people, entire lives. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has become a global phenomenon. The more my daughter talked about it, the more I found myself thinking about software.
After all, even the best software becomes bloated, hidden, or unusable if we don't pay close attention.
One of the first lessons my daughter shared was simple: if it doesn't bring you joy, get rid of it. I struggled with that idea at first. The size 33s and 34s in my closet brought me great joy when I could wear them. Not so much now that I am firmly in 36-plus territory. Most men find very little joy in squeezing into clothes that no longer fit, which explains why I still keep multiple size ranges neatly separated in my closet, just in case.
But once I stopped arguing with the metaphor, it stuck.
Frustrated with my own closet, I started applying Kondo's principles to software. If the goal is joy, then most software products are trying to do far too much. Like overstuffed wardrobes, applications become cluttered with features users forget about, never use, or cannot even find. At some point, every product needs a thoughtful weed-out.
Here are a few lessons from the book that translate surprisingly well.
1: Tackle categories, not rooms
In software terms, this means personas and user stories. Put yourself in the shoes of a specific user and ask what they do ninety percent of the time. Analytics help here. Identify which features are actually being used by which users. The ideal outcome is customization, menus and favorites that make the software feel purpose-built for each role.
2: Respect your belongings
Software features, like clothes, often get misplaced. Something once useful gets buried three menus deep or hidden under "Other" or "More." Good software puts important functionality in logical places and keeps it within a click or two. Respect the tools you have by making them easy to find.
3: Nostalgia is not your friend
Years ago, we had a feature called the "Daily Run." It queued calls, printed letters, and sent emails based on CRM activity. It was powerful and it had to be run every day. One of our favorite support questions was, "How often should we run the Daily Run?"
Eventually, we automated it. Everything ran overnight. When employees arrived in the morning, emails were sent, letters were ready, and calls were queued. The feature no longer needed to live on the main menu. It stayed there far too long for one reason only: nostalgia. The lesson is simple. If something no longer needs attention, remove it from the spotlight.
4: Purging feels good
This is the joy test. If you use your own software internally, you already know which features matter. If not, ask your customers. Software absolutely can create joy, especially when it saves time, increases revenue, or helps users serve their own customers better.
5: Fold, don't hang
A packed closet often fails because there is no hierarchy. Software suffers from the same issue. Features are grouped by function rather than by when they are needed. The best applications guide users through a process. Menus should reinforce workflow, not force users to hunt.
6: The fold
Kondo teaches folding clothes so everything is visible at a glance. Great software features often go unused for the same reason great clothes do: people forget they exist. Visibility matters. If users cannot see it, they won't use it.
7: Fall in love with your closet
If you open your closet and think, "What a mess," something needs to change. The same is true for software. We don't have to look far for inspiration. Apple's success with elegant simplicity is no accident. When refreshing a UI, research first, then bring in experienced designers. Good UI and UX turn feedback into clarity.
8: Rediscover your style
My wife can spot good style instantly. Anyone who knows me knows that my own closet is more eclectic than intentional. I still grab my favorites from the top of the stack. Software is no different. Products need a point of view. This book offers a surprisingly helpful lens for rethinking UI and UX.
Here's to being tidy!
~ Bryan