The KISS Principle
KISS is an acronym for “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” It is a design principle that emphasises simplicity as a key objective, encouraging designers to avoid unnecessary complexity whenever possible.
The underlying idea is straightforward: don’t make things more complicated than they need to be.
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” – Albert Einstein
Keep It Stupid Simple?
The phrase “Keep It Simple, Stupid” is commonly attributed to Kelly Johnson, the lead engineer at Lockheed’s Skunk Works.
Johnson challenged his team of design engineers to develop an aircraft that could be repaired by an average mechanic in the field, under combat conditions, using only a basic set of tools.
The “stupid” part wasn’t about the intelligence of the mechanics. It was about designing something simple enough that even someone without specialised knowledge or sophisticated equipment could understand and repair it.
Over time, several variations of the KISS principle have emerged, including:
- Keep It Short & Simple.
- Keep It Simple & Stupid.
- Keep It Simple & Straightforward.
Personally, I don’t particularly like the idea of keeping things stupid. So, I decided to give it my own interpretation:
“Keep It Straight Simple.”
Keep It Straight Simple
Changing the phrase isn’t necessarily a must-do. It’s simply my preferred way of interpreting the principle.
After all, everyone learns, thinks and applies things differently, even when they are working towards similar outcomes.
Different routes can lead to the same destination. The important thing is to choose an approach that suits you and helps you get there effectively.
So, why the word “Straight”?
Why not simply use “Keep It Simple & Straightforward”?
Well, “Straightforward” was a little too long for my liking. In keeping with the very principle I was trying to express, I shortened it to just one word: Straight.
From Thought to Implementation
The inspiration of “Straight” came from Mark Joyner’s Law of Straight Line, one of the principles in his Simpleology course.
The law suggests that the fastest path from Point A to Point B is a straight line.
One of his examples involves something as simple as drinking a glass of water.
If Point A is the intention to drink water and Point B is actually drinking it, there are many possible actions in between. You could sweet-talk someone into helping you, threaten someone to get the water, or simply pick up the glass and drink it yourself.
The last option is probably the most direct.
My interpretation of this principle is that the process between having a thought (Point A) and achieving a result, or taking an action (Point B) should be as direct and straightforward as possible.
However, there’s an important distinction between the shortest path and the fastest path.
Imagine there’s a wall between Point A and Point B. The shortest physical distance might be a straight line through the wall. But that doesn’t necessarily make it the fastest way to reach your destination.
Going around it or climbing over it might be much quicker.
On the other hand, if you need to make that same journey repeatedly, drilling through the wall might be worth the initial effort. What takes longer to establish today could save you considerably more time in the long run.
And that’s another way of looking at simplicity.
Keep things simple, but don’t confuse simple with simplistic.
Sometimes, the most straightforward solution isn’t the one with the fewest steps. It’s the one that gets you the desired result with the least unnecessary complexity.
After all, simplicity isn’t about removing everything. It’s about knowing what doesn’t need to be there.
“It seems that perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry