Clarification, Not Simplification
The Principle
Understanding is not about simplification and minimalization, it’s about organization and clarification.
Why This Matters
Most people equate “making something clearer” with “making it simpler.” But this is wrong. Simplification often removes the very details that make something understandable. It strips context, flattens nuance, hides relationships.
Wurman: “Making things understandable should not be confused with simplification. Most people think that the way to make something clearer is to simplify it, and vice versa. But this isn’t true. Many times information becomes vague and meaningless when there is nothing to relate it to.”
The Distinction
Simplification removes information. It makes things shorter, smaller, less detailed. The result can be sterile, decontextualized, unmemorable.
Clarification organizes information. It reveals structure, highlights relationships, provides anchors for understanding. The result can be sophisticated, rich, and still understandable.
Complex information, well-organized, is more understandable than simple information poorly organized.
How to Apply
Instead of asking “how can I make this simpler?” ask:
- How can I organize this so patterns emerge?
- What structure reveals the relationships?
- What context makes the details meaningful?
- What anchors can I provide for the unfamiliar parts?
Example: Technical Documentation
Simplification approach: Remove jargon, shorten explanations, hide complexity. Clarification approach: Provide clear hierarchy, visual structure, examples that connect to user’s existing knowledge, explicit relationships between concepts.
The clarification approach produces longer documentation that’s actually easier to use.
The Risk of Over-Simplification
“It is the idea of simplification that has led to the ‘dumbing’ of America.”
When we strip information down to sound bites, we lose the structure that enables understanding. People can memorize simplified facts without comprehending them.
Related: 02-molecule—five-hat-racks, 02-atom—understanding-is-relational