When innovation risks becoming excessive, simplicity is crucial. Focus on what truly adds value by evaluating features against user needs to ensure relevance and utility. Embrace the 'less is more' philosophy by removing elements that don’t serve a clear purpose. Test designs with real users to gather feedback on what enhances their experience and what feels superfluous. By concentrating on essential features and seeking user input, you can keep your product design sleek, functional, and aligned with user needs. This approach helps maintain clarity and effectiveness in your design.

It depends on the type of product being developed. If it is a mass production- - Focus on the smplicity, durability, value to customer. - Iterate the product/design by customer response/ feedback - dont focus much on gimmicky design language to impress customers Then there are luxury items - You can just go bonkers in the design but keep in mind that whatever you are designing should reflect the company's overall design statement and should match with company's other offerings - Crazy designs can go popular only by a real good marketing strategy or creating a hype.

To prioritize innovation over excess, I focus on understanding the core user needs and business goals. I streamline features that deliver the most value, eliminating unnecessary elements. By concentrating on simplicity and impact, I ensure the design remains user-centric and innovative, avoiding feature bloat.

Talk to your intended users. Who are you building this for, and how does it improve their experience? I uploaded the Starbucks app, and didn't really see the point in using it for a number of years given how infrequently I shop there . . . until the day I had an e-gift card to use, and the barrista told me that I get $1 refills on drip coffee in store when I use the app! I'm now more likely to meet at Starbucks, as well as use the app when I do. The other promos and features are meaningless to me, but that one resonates and MAY be a strong enough value exchange for Starbucks that they leverage this with me in the future.

In the race to innovate, it's easy to fall into the trap of feature bloat. But true innovation often lies in simplicity. As Leonardo da Vinci said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." I follow these key strategies to keep the product design sleek and functional: - By evaluating features against user needs to ensure every feature serves a clear purpose. - Embracing 'less is more'. Ruthlessly eliminate anything that doesn't add clear value by focusing on core functionality that solves real user problems