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Fixed-gear bikes have been growing in popularity due to their simple, low-maintenance design.

That or fashion. I suspect the latter.

Good read – Wired approached the same subject from a different angle – ‘Good Enough’ – here http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/magazine/17-09/ff_goodenough

This is brilliantly!

I run a single-speed with a freewheel. The maintenance is so much easier than my old hybrid, and I very rarely feel the need for extra gears in a city as pancake-flat as Chicago.

Fixie culture is fashion for those that want it to be fashion – and those are probably the people most likely to get press and attention, because (surprise!) they’re attracting attention to themselves by having really fussy, pretty bikes. But the vast majority of fixie kids that I know use their bikes as commuting tools. They convert beat-up seventies 10-speeds by removing the derailleurs and cropping the chain length, or by replacing the rear wheel with a different hub. Or they buy cheap track frames and build them out with stuff salvaged from abandoned bikes. Super easy to maintain, but they look like crap.

And you never notice that these are fixies unless you’re staring at the chain and their pedals as they ride past you. They just look like normal people trying to get around. Funny how their rides are less likely to be stolen, too.

True. Very true..

Simple, not simplistic. Elegant?

Both Pinkberry and Blackberry both get referred to as “Crackberry”... but which is the ultimate “Crackberry?”

Fans of Pinkberry/Chipotle. And lessons of Eric Ries & Paul Graham. Simplicity of hacking the $30b pizza industry/take-out & delivery model re-skinned with a social mission/healthy pizza drives our launch. 12 grain/root/nut crust with prebiotics/probiotics in 3 sizes, 28 toppings. Jones Soda. 1k square feet, no seating. 2 billionaire investors.

So true. Love Chiptle! Also, here on the west coast (Los Angeles), we have In-n-Out Hamburger joint (http://www.in-n-out.com/). There’s only 3 combo’s to choose from (with other hidden items for the regulars). But the point is, their locations are packed 24/7 … keep it simple, I love that philosophy. ~ Mike

Re “The dirty little secret about simple: It’s actually hard to do.” : No, it’s not a dirty little secret. Every single person or agency who espouses simple design (including me) is constantly professing this, to the point that it’s become a cliche. I realize it’s 37signals MO to be “iconoclastic” and “provocative,” but who do you think doesn’t realize that simple = hard by this point?

@ML Web Consulting – Also love Chipotle! And they have a “secret menu” as well, but I’ve never needed to order off of it.

What could be better than a tasty, fresh-made burrito?

Along these lines: “The Origin of Brands” by Al & Laura Ries is a book that makes the argument that convergence (the swiss army knife approach) isn’t always the answer. In fact it’s most often not the answer.

It’s a good book to read on the plane. Short and insightful.

I’ve heard that you can order off the secret menu at Chipotle that includes nachos and quesadillas.

The same could be said about Domino’s Pizza. 2 sizes, limited toppings, delivery or takeout only. Tom Monaghan did to Pizza what Interchangeable parts did to machinery (more info. available in the book Pizza Tiger). But now their model has changed enough that someone could probably step into their foot prints and carve out a niche…

Totally agreed that the more basic the recipe the easier it is to manage.

This is a great article. It makes so much sense.

My question is: If this concept is so simple, easy to understand and there are several success cases; why is it so hard to convince people from the other mindset (the more the better) ?

Maybe it’s just me who is bad at explaining. I believe we need more ‘Keep it simple, stupid’ evangelists.

Couldn’t agree more regarding Chipotle. The whole group of designers, coders, and artists that I work with all seem to love their food. Personally, I love the freshness of the ingredients and their commitment to sustainable, ethically raised livestock as well. Their carnitas (pulled pork) burrito is simply fantastic.

They are also actively promoting FOOD , Inc. at their restaurants, which means they have nothing (ok, not much…) to hide in their own behind the scenes operations.

I would place Jimmy Johns in this category too, super fast, super fresh, simple, cheap deli sandwhiches, served with a great sense of humor.

Love the quote from the Chipotle founder.

CrackPack, CrackCamp, CrackRise, CrackFire, CrackStack, ....you guys do pretty good with the crack prefix.

Like Erik pointed out, I think most of us reading this are on board with simple, esp. as it applies to website design/features/content/curation/user experience, and are champions of it within our organizations. One of my favorite quotes on the subject is “inexperienced communicators believe more is better” (from a branding/identity presentation).

But. Some of us are losing – despite our best efforts.

This web developer would love to hear how other people are having successes and finding in-roads with groups who don’t “get” the web, but who believe they should control it (and who want to add complexity for their benefit, not the user’s). Specific topical quotes? Strategies? Coping mechanisms?

I think it’s a mistake to say Chipotle “wins big” because their menu is simple. They win big because they are one of the big players in the “fast casual” fast food industry. There’s a couple characteristics of a fast casual/premium fast food restaurant: 1. location 2. strong branding 3. cleanliness 4. speed. They charge a premium for all of this - which in turn allows them to not have to compete with all the “others”. Think blue ocean vs. red sea. Even if they offered a much larger selection - I don’t really think it would hurt their success.

I take it no one has actually checked the calorie count of a Chipotle burrito. Fast food is what it is. Same model as everyone else, just marketed to a different crowd. I wouldn’t call what Chipotle is doing better than everyone else or even simplified…it’s taking the same basic concepts of what the McDonald brothers originally did (as everyone in the fast food biz does) and set to different price points, marketing schemes and demographics. Kudos for Chipotle for turning a profit, but hardly a revolutionary idea.

” I have only made this [letter] longer, because I have not had the time to make it shorter. ” – Blaise Pascal, “Lettres provinciales”, letter 16, 1657

I know of at least 3 other burrito chains – Moes, Qudoba, Pancheros (just in Iowa right now) – that all make very good burritos and sell other products (like cookies, which I buy every time) too. Attributing Chipolte’s success to ‘simple’ is too simple. It’s one of the factors. And I predict that when their big growth stops, they will broaden and/or change the menu, like every other mature restaurant chain has.

@ That -

“This web developer would love to hear how other people are having successes and finding in-roads with groups who don’t “get” the web, but who believe they should control it (and who want to add complexity for their benefit, not the user’s).”

This will never go away. You’ll always run into this, and it’s not just in web development. You may change a few minds on your own, otherwise you’ll have to avoid such clients or suck it up and deliver more or less what they want if you want their dollars.

We’re working on a small project now. The temptation to add more features that could make the project better is incredibly fierce. It takes great discipline to remove them from the whiteboard.

This is a one week project, and yet most of the time is spent rejecting possible new features, so the project can just operate at its core.

I don’t even get the Nintendo reference to ‘doing less’. Have you been to the store lately? Do the XBox and PS3 have exercise games and equipment? Do they have all the add-on accessories (though not all directly from Nintendo)? Is the unique motion sensing control ‘less’ than the competitors?

“Simple isn’t easy. Running a marathon is simple: you begin, and 26.2 miles later, you’re done. But don’t try to tell me that’s easy.” – Scott Berkun in “the art of project management”

Chipotle is owned by McDonalds. If anything I’d expect the same shoddy business practices when it comes to slaughtering animals in the processed meat they call “food”.

Fixed geared bikes are a really bad example. That is a product category and not a company. Plus a huge percentage of fixed gear bikes are homemade. I also think it is really hard to make a good amount of money in the category, just like the rest of the bike industry.

The other thing is that fixed gear bikes are not necessarily in competition with road bikes or other bikes, since most manufacturers make both.

All the other examples are great though.

I think adding features and complexity represents a fear response. You don’t want to leave anything out because you might lose that ONE user who said, “I can’t use your app because it doesn’t have…”. Problem is, those users tend to be the most vocal and persistent.

From an aesthetic standpoint, it takes self-restraint to back away from your drawing (or painting) and say, “It’s done. It’s perfect as is”. There’s always the temptation to add just one more line or stroke of the brush.

The same thing’s true of business. It takes guts to stand by your product or service and say, “This is what we stand for – take it or leave it”. Most people have a difficult time doing that. And I can understand: Sometimes that’s tough to do in the early days when you’re still gauging what the market wants and what they’re willing to pay for.

@dispepsa McDonald’s sold its ownership stake in Chipotle more than 3 years ago. Read up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipotle_Mexican_Grill

You mean the same Nintendo that is currently struggling with stalled Wii sales?

And they do a lot of things well, but not by focusing on a few things. They do well by leaving the traditional games box again and again.

Its always good advice to say ‘do one thing well’ however the opposite is also true. McDonald’s won big yet it has a vast, some say unfocused, menu and does most everything mediocrely. Since I myself am unfocused and mediocre, I hope to emulate the McDonald’s path to prosperity. Being better at something is just too hard.

On another point, Chipotle and Pinkberry aren’t the best examples of producing the best possible product. Pinkberry during its ramp-up didn’t make real yogurt, and while Chipotle burritos are good we’ve all had better burritos coming out of a taco truck.

In other words there is no moral to this story. You can be successful selling the “best” products that aren’t really the best or even the actual product or you can be middling at best and do well. The choice is yours.

I think In n’ Out Burger is a good example of doing less really really well.

Fixed Gear bicycles are illegal in most places though :(.

I’m tired of people saying “simple, simple, simple”. Simple is relative.

Why does DHH drive around on the track with a Lambo when he could be driving a Lotus which is a more “simple” vehicle AND is better on the track?

I have not once used the chat feature in Basecamp. So, in my mind, BC could be made “simpler” by removing it. BUT , it Jason’s mind, BC IS simple and simple gets.

You see people, its relative to the PERSON , SITUATION AND PRODUCT .

What I think we should be saying is “find a successful median”, where you can be successful while doing the least amount possible.

From Testuff web site: “Our simple-clean GUI , and the intuitive approach we have chosen enables your testers to start working almost immediately after download. There’s no need for training and there are no manuals to read. ” As said by Matt it is complicated to do it simple, and still give value. Not only we work hard to keep it simple, but we also avoid getting into adding other services or products, and stay within our expertise.

Great comparison. Looks a lot like what you are preaching in your book. Liked that one to.

I agree with the disagreements on Nintendo. All they did was take their obtuse technology from last year and slap a motion control mechanism on it, making a complicated medium even more complicated. They traded buttons for an inefficient pointer, and even they don’t know what to do with it software-wise.

Nintendo consoles are purchased for Nintendo games. Simple? Sure. Sustaining? Hell no. The Wii was as close to a fad as you can get these days and will be gone within the next few years while its competitors continue to cultivate the idea that a single “media center” console is far more sustainable as a forward thinking gaming technology. Both Microsoft and Sony will have established brands lasting over an entire decade by the time they need a refresh, and Nintendo will be wallowing in their backwards thinking and broken promises.

Success is temporary. Nintendo’s was entirely accidental, and they can’t sustain the acceleration.

I agree with everything else the article stated.

Ever think about how your product would sound with “crack” as a prefix?

Cracked signals?

You guys seem to try and fit examples to your point of view. Ninentdo isn’t doing less. They’re doing different. Fixed gear bikes aren’t because people like less it’s either purist geeks or fashion.

To Echo the Realist, I think it’s a matter of doing a few things “good enough”

In terms of PinkBerry and Chiptle, I’d say their success has less to do with stellar product and more to do with consistent product. Every time you go there, no matter where it’s located or time of the day, you know EXACTLY what you are getting.

Sadly, consistency is hard to come buy as a consumer these days. So many companies can offer both stellar and abysmal service depending entirely on particular location, or person you interact with.

“Success is temporary. Nintendo’s was entirely accidental, and they can’t sustain the acceleration.”

Not sure how many 100 year old companies valued at over $85 billion got there ‘accidently’.

Sometimes focusing on one really is better, but you need to be able to expand when the market calls for expansion. This site http://www.optimization-world.com started out just selling HDMI cables, one product. They have otherwise expanded, but still try to maintain a simpler UI than the competition.

Chipotle doesn’t have cookies, but they do have beer :)

I like looking at examples of complexity for success as well.

Starbucks made the act of ordering coffee HIGHLY complex (i.e. personalized). “Non-fat, caramel, mocha-latte, with no whip cream and an extra shot”

Mini made the act of choosing a car’s accessories as highly complex as well (i.e. over 1 million configurations). Instead of picking 1 of 5 colors, I can pick from different shades, two tones, highlights, etc.

Simple is good and nice and all…..but complexity can deliver a personalized experience unlike their competition. And, in both examples of Mini and Starbucks, they upset the competition at lower costs or as a startup.

Simpler is better – some times. Complex is better – some times.

Chipotle is the best at giving me the trots for 24 hours. No other dining establishment does that better than them.

I am a fan of simple, low-maintenance minimalist designs that look good and are worth functionally also… with the spirit of the article ‘doing just a few things well..’ . It is more like human advancement via specialization, one of the causes for advancement, progression and evolution.