Why Minimalist Design Often Fails (And How to Fix It)

I redesigned.

The Sigma BFF camera.

From this to this.

Just for one reason.

As a 28 year old who has spent most of the last decade studying and building products.

I used to believe that minimalism is the ultimate design philosophy.

Cut away the extras, strip it down to the purest form.

But lately, I realized that it doesn't always work.

And there is a better way called essentialism.

This is the Sigma BF camera.

It's super clean, super minimal, but there's no grip to hold it comfortably.

No dials for quick control and no viewfinder to frame your shot.

It looks beautiful, no doubt, but it feels incomplete.

Now look at this Leica Q3.

It's also minimal. It's also beautiful.

But with purpose.

It keeps the dial, and adds the grip when you need it.

Same idea as the Sigma BF, but very different execution.

Another example is Apple's Magic Mouse.

No buttons, no scroll wheel, no orientation.

Just a sleek slab of glass until you need to charge it.

Then it turns into this.

compare that to the surface mouse.

It's still clean.

Still minimal.

But a simple scroll wheel and a subtle line.

And you instantly know how to use it.

And I can go on and on about.

touch panels replacing knobs on appliances.

Cars with no physical controls.

And bathroom faucets so minimal that you need instructions to wash your hands.

So, what are we really doing here?

Are we designing for simplicity or just removing things just to make them look simple?

This is where minimalism starts to fall apart.

And why we might need a different lens of essentialism.

The term essentialism was popularized by this book.

By Greg McKeown.

Now, this book is not about design.

It's about life.

How we make decisions, how we manage our time and focus, our energy on what truly matters.

McKeown breaks essentialism into four core ideas.

Essence means knowing what truly matters, what deserves your time and energy.

Explore is about not rushing into decisions.

You pause, reflect, and evaluate all the options and opportunities before committing.

Eliminate is the discipline of saying no to anything that is not essential, even if it looks so good on the surface.

And finally, execute means taking focused and disciplined actions to achieve all those essential goals.

And then it hit me that the same principles apply to design too.

Because at the end, design or building a product is a series of decisions.

First, you define the core purpose.

Then you explore multiple ideas and user needs.

Then you remove anything that doesn't serve the purpose.

And finally, you make what remains seamless and intuitive.

So essentialism isn't about making things look minimal.

It's about ensuring every element has a clear reason to exist.

And once you see it that way, minimalism starts to feel incomplete.

Because minimalism came from the art and architecture in the mid-twentieth century, focusing only on visual simplicity and clean aesthetics.

And later it was brought into product or industrial design by architects like Ludwig Meis, who gave us the philosophy of “Less is More”.

And designers like Dieter Rams, who gave us the philosophy of “Less but Better.”

But Rams also gave us another key principle that “Forms Follows Function.”

And most designers today focus only on the less part and forget the function part.

Because clean looks modern.

But if you look at Braun products designed by Rams from that era, they were visually simple, but still had all the necessary buttons and knobs.

Every element had a purpose.

Rams never removed functionality to make something less.

Just for the sake of it.

He designed for clarity.

Not just for the looks. But somewhere along the way, Our generation of designers adopted his aesthetics, but missed his philosophy.

We kept the less but forget, the better.

And now it's showing up in the world.

When we are making products.

Look at the thermostats.

Old Honeywell had a simple dial with visible temperature markers.

Just rotate the knob and choose what temperature you want.

And this is the new Honeywell thermostat.

you know, there are left and right buttons here that controls the function and then this dial.

Which you don't know which way is high and which way is low.

And same goes for the kitchen appliances, induction cooktops, ovens, microwaves, washing machine.

Now all have flat touch interfaces.

So in the name of modern aesthetics, they have removed affordances like knobs and dials that used to make things obvious and intuitive.

So it's impossible to operate them with oily or wet hands.

And if some guests come to your house, they will feel really stupid and might need a tutorial from you just to get water from a fridge.

And then there are tech products.

Sometimes they remove function keys from laptops for Touch Bar with more functionality.

Then people complain and they put the keys back.

But sometimes people adapt.

Like when headphone jacks and ports disappeared from phones and laptops.

So now everyone is happy getting an extra USB hub and paying ten times more.

To listen to the music.

Personally, I don’t mind the AirPods, but it hurts when I lose one of them.

Anyway, the point is that this mindset of making everything aesthetically minimal either removes functionality hides too much behind a single interactive element.

whether it's a MacBook Touch Bar supporting multiple functions, or AirPods with their secret codes one pinch to pause, two for the next song right here for the noise cancellation and left for Siri.

This cognitive load of figuring out how to use the simple products actually makes them more complex.

The mental effort required to use this touchscreen interface without tactile feedback is higher than using physical controls.

This is why apps need onboarding tutorials and products with fewer buttons come with longer manuals.

What's the solution here?

I think we have to change our approach to designing products, especially regarding functionality and ergonomics.

So instead of taking an existing product and just stripping away all the buttons or hiding functions behind a single button.

We have to start from scratch.

Start again from the user, not the product.

Think about it.

When a product was initially designed, the world was different.

People had different habits.

Tech was different.

The way we used to do things was different.

But today's users have different expectations.

So if you are making the next version of something, you should not just redesign the shell.

You need to rethink the whole experience.

And this is where essentialism really helps.

You know what?

Let's redesign the Sigma BF camera using the essentialist principles.

Just a disclaimer.

I respect the Sigma design team and their vision about the design language of this product.

So we will just play a bit with the UI, function and ergonomics.

now this thing is minimal. No doubt.

But let's ask what is the essence of this product?

Why does it exist?

What's its core job?

Sigma doesn't market it as a pro or studio camera.

It's not for commercial shoots or high end setups.

It's meant to be your everyday carry something light, compact, spontaneous.

And in their own words, easiest camera to use.

So the essence is to capture high quality images effortlessly, anytime, anywhere.

It should be something you can trust in your bag, pull out in a moment.

And shoot without going through menus or searching for buttons.

The current design might look beautiful.

Is it really ready to shoot anytime anywhere?

Probably not.

And now that we've identified the essence, let's explore.

What does everyday effortless shooting actually require?

Probably one handed use as you're pulling it out on the street.

Maybe for some quick shots of a kid, a stranger or a sunset.

Sometimes in bright lights.

Sometimes at night.

And maybe sometimes with gloves on.

So what do you really need for all of these?

A natural grip for one handed use.

quick access controls.

Exposure. Focus. Shutter.

Nothing buried inside menus.

A Screen that works in sunlight.

Since there's no viewfinder.

Then fast bootup with no delays.

Clear battery and storage status.

And maybe even some tactile feedback so you know what you're doing without looking.

These are not pro features.

They are essentials. Basics.

Even your iPhone has most of them yet.

The original Sigma BF skips many in the name of minimalism.

No grip, no dials.

A flat screen that's hard to see in sunlight.

Even switching modes take too long.

So now let's move to the next step and eliminate the things that don't support this experience.

Sigma already did a lot of elimination from a traditional camera.

They removed the viewfinder.

As the camera is designed for spontaneous, everyday shots.

There is no hot shoe for any add ons.

No external mic input.

No flip screen And no external card slots.

Most of these make sense for a casual, everyday camera, but maybe they remove too much.

So we have to add some things that really matters.

Like a front grip.

Just enough for stability and comfort without adding any bulk.

A clear toggle switch between photo of and video modes.

So when you pull it out, you can easily start in the mode you want.

A simple wheel with shortcuts Like ISO, Exposure, Focus mode.

So you don't need to dive into a full menu for these quick shortcuts.

Maybe a gallery button.

Yeah.

Because you do want to review your shots after you take it.

And then Let's keep the menu button for detail settings If you want.

So let me walk you through what the essentialist version of the Sigma BFF could look like.

First, we'll add a front grip.

Here I want to have two options.

First one is similar to the thumb grip.

It can be a long strip or two strip like this.

I think the long one seems much better.

So let's keep it.

The second option is to take inspiration from the Sigma DP3.

And extend this right side slightly.

This will also keep the front nulled pattern uniform and also give us necessary grip.

Both of these concepts are compact.

Keep the same design language, but are substantially enough for confident one handed use.

They maintains the minimal silhouette, but finally feels like a camera, not just a slab of metal.

And now let's move to the UI and buttons.

First, let's clear up some space to add things.

Then we keep the back control wheel, but map it to actual shortcuts.

ISO Exposure Time Focus, Multiple shots and maybe a night mode so that they are not buried in menus.

But are just one press away.

And then you can scroll as you want to change the quick settings.

I know this doesn't look as clean as before, but it's essential.

Then we also keep the menu button to go deep into settings.

If you need.

And here we will add a dedicated gallery button.

Because reviewing shots is part of shooting.

As you know, you have to be sure if it's good or not.

So one tap here and you are in the gallery.

And finally we will add a physical toggle switch.

So when you pull it out you can directly open the mode you want.

Click or shoot.

It's small but powerful.

There are no extra taps. It starts ready.

all these little things makes a massive difference when you're using the camera daily.

Then there are other small things, like a bright screen with enough nits for sunlight and a clear feedbacks from buttons, but those I can't show you here, but it needs to be in the development of the components.

But now you got a camera that doesn't just look clean, but it feels essential.

Every part is there for a reason.

Nothing extra.

Nothing missing.

Form is still compact.

The vibe is still minimal, but the usability is on a whole different level.

This is the power of essentialism.

And this approach is not just for the cameras.

It's for everything we build. The products you truly love, are not just minimal.

They're essential.

They keep what matters and executed perfectly.

So here's my message to all of you.

Choose essentialism over minimalism.

Every time.

Don't just make things with fewer buttons.

Make things with the right buttons in the right places.

That's how we create products.

That are not just beautiful, but are truly meaningful.

That's all for today.

I'll see you next time. Thank you.