Summary of "Combattre la complexité" - Rémi Guyot

00:00:00 - 00:50:00

Rémi Guyot discusses the concept of simplifying complexity in various aspects of life, including decision-making, product design, and personal well-being. He emphasizes the importance of embracing complexity rather than avoiding it and suggests techniques such as prioritization, standardization, and reduction to combat complexity. He also highlights the value of communication, testing, and accepting necessary trade-offs in the pursuit of simplicity. Guyot acknowledges that the process of simplification can be challenging and requires effort, but ultimately leads to liberation and the emergence of incredible possibilities.

• 00:00:00 In this section, Remi Guyot begins by asking the audience to participate in a survey, asking if they have a profile in business, design, architecture, or are anxious. He then mentions that the true reason for their anxiety is that they are seeking the secret of life. Guyot then proceeds to ask the audience a question about the distance between France and New Zealand, mentioning that one of the answers given was a commonly misperceived 20,000 kilometers instead of the true distance of 40,000 kilometers, and uses this as an example of how our assumptions can lead us astray. The main point of this section is that Guyot is using the distance between two countries as a metaphor for our inability to perceive and understand difficult concepts in our daily life.
• 00:05:00 In this section, Rémi Guyot talks about his professional journey and the common thread being his work in various organizations. He mentions working in Lyon, where he started his studies and worked in a communication agency and later joined PayPal. He noticed a recurring pattern in all the projects he worked on, where they would start off clear and simple, but as they progressed, they became complex and chaotic. This intrigued him and he began searching for solutions online, particularly in the web and tech industry. He came across the advice of "ne pas aller là bas", meaning to avoid the zone of complexity, which became his obsession. He realized that this approach of complexity was not the right one and might even be the source of the problem. He then introduces a story about a boat and asks the audience for suggestions related to simplicity and complexity.
• 00:10:00 In this section, Rémi Guyot discusses the importance of accepting and embracing complexity in order to achieve simplicity. He explains that many people mistakenly try to ignore or avoid complex situations, but in reality, complexity is the starting point of any project. Guyot argues that it is our role to simplify things by accepting their complexity and working towards reducing it. He compares this process to a battle, emphasizing that it is not something that comes naturally or easily. He suggests three techniques to combat complexity: fanatical focus, simplification reviews, and absence testing. Guyot concludes by encouraging the audience to come up with their own techniques and to embrace the fact that complexity is a reality that can be overcome.
• 00:15:00 In this section, Rémi Guyot discusses the method of prioritization using two lists, as explained by Warren Buffett. The first step is to list all the major objectives, whether personal or for the company. Then, the next step is to identify the three most important objectives from that list. These three objectives become the top priorities, while the remaining objectives are placed in the second list, which Guyot refers to as the "trash bin" or the list of things to avoid at all costs. This approach may seem counterintuitive, but it helps in reducing complexity and avoiding distractions, thus allowing for better focus and progress on the top priorities. Guyot uses the example of his own company, BlaBlaCar, where they had three top priorities but had to put other important topics in the "trash bin" in order to ensure that they could make significant progress in the areas that truly mattered.
• 00:20:00 In this section, Rémi Guyot discusses the importance of communication and prioritization in decision-making processes. He emphasizes the need to bring everyone on board and explain that while certain aspects may be temporarily ignored, they are still important and will be revisited later. He introduces a framework for evaluating an organization's prioritization level, ranging from zero (no prioritization) to three (everyone knows and works solely on the priorities). He encourages individuals to aim for higher levels of prioritization and suggests ways to simplify screens using the "CHEVAL" acronym, which stands for hiding, organizing, reducing, standardizing, and eliminating. He uses the example of a travel booking screen to illustrate these techniques.
• 00:25:00 In this section, Rémi Guyot talks about the importance of simplifying complex interfaces. He gives an example of a screen where they wanted to add more information, but realized that there was already too much going on. By applying a set of techniques, including hiding unnecessary information, reducing redundancy, and standardizing elements, they were able to simplify the interface and make it more user-friendly. Additionally, Rémi emphasizes the importance of testing the absence of certain elements, such as removing user reviews, to enhance trust and avoid overwhelming users with excessive information. Overall, these techniques of simplification can be universally applied to improve user experiences.
• 00:30:00 In this section, Remi Guyot discusses the concept of "fighting complexities" in product design. He argues that it is essential to embrace the complexity of reality rather than avoiding it, and to actively combat it through massive reduction techniques.
• 00:35:00 In this section, Rémi Guyot discusses the importance of simplification and recommends two books that have greatly influenced his work and personal life: "Insanely Simple" by Ken Segall, which analyzes the culture of simplicity at Apple, and "Essentialism" by Greg McKeown, which offers a different approach to simplification. Guyot also shares personal techniques he uses for simplification, such as listing sources of stress and using simplification techniques to address them. He emphasizes the value of standardization and acknowledges that while standardization may not always be the answer, it is important to ask the question of whether something can be standardized. Additionally, Guyot addresses a question about the standardization of icons and color accessibility, highlighting the importance of considering standardization on a project-by-project basis.
• 00:40:00 In this section, Rémi Guyot explains that when he started working on the platform, they had four different platforms optimized for their specific channels, but he believed that they were too different and needed to be harmonized. They decided to ignore the desktop screens and focus on mobile users. They treated the web mobile and native applications as the same, creating a design that would work for both. Although they are now questioning if some details should be optimized for specific platforms, Rémi believes that the risk of optimizing for a particular platform is that it can lead to extremely different interfaces and a colossal maintenance effort. He emphasizes the importance of prioritizing user experience over the platform and mentions that although some details may vary based on the platform, it should not be the majority of the design considerations.
• 00:45:00 In this section, Rémi Guyot discusses the importance of prioritization and adapting design based on different platforms. He explains that while it used to be avoided, now there is a level of subtlety and customization that can be interesting. He gives the example of using data to show that desktop usage for their platform is extremely low, which becomes a problem for their team. He then talks about how the matrix they use for prioritization can be applied in different situations, such as legal constraints, and how it helps guide conversations with different departments like legal. He emphasizes the importance of using the matrix as a tool for questioning and generating new ideas, as it allows for a reduction of complexity and promotes simplicity in design.
• 00:50:00 In this section, Rémi Guyot discusses the impact of simplification on both personal and professional aspects of life. He describes the process of simplification as painful, but acknowledges that knowing this in advance helps to cope with it. He refers to the "curse of simplicity," explaining that when something is created with simplicity, all the hard work and effort that went into it becomes invisible to others. However, he believes that once the process is successfully completed, it brings liberation and allows incredible things to emerge. He shares a personal example of how reading a book about essentialism led him to prioritize spending a weekend with his mother, something he hadn't done before. Despite the difficulties in organizing this weekend, he believes the result will be worth it. He concludes by stating that the journey of simplification is challenging, but the end result is worthwhile.