Developers love to overcomplicate things– fancy features, endless “what ifs,” and clever tricks that turn simple tasks into maintenance nightmares. What starts as a way to make life easier can become a burden for both users and developers.
In the end, simplicity just works better and avoids a lot of headaches. The solution that doesn’t try to do too much is usually the one we end up choosing. And that’s exactly how it should be!
Take our website redesign as an example. One feature we’re reworking is our campaigns module, which helps visitors discover new products. It’s currently simple, with titles, media, and descriptions only on the homepage. We considered expanding it to menus, categories, and product pages, adding personalization and previews for all formats.
At first, we thought of building separate campaigns for each location—homepage, menus, product pages. But then the developer brain kicked in: Why not create a single, flexible campaign for everything?
It sounded great—users would manage one campaign (say, a summer collection) across layouts, reusing media and handling everything from one workspace. But as we developed the idea, the complexity grew. What if users want different titles in different locations? Varying descriptions? It became clear that this solution was over-engineered.
When we stepped back and considered how the marketing team works, we saw that they focus on one thing at a time—like highlighting a seasonal collection on the homepage. Cross-promotions in categories are handled separately.
By focusing on real-world usage, we realized the extra complexity wasn’t needed. Simply create one campaign for one location at a time.
The new design simplifies everything. Users now create a campaign for one location with a single preview, making adjustments easy without juggling multiple controls. The benefits are clear: it’s easier to use, provides a clear preview, and reduces clutter.
While we first thought a single campaign would be more efficient, it turns out separate campaigns for different locations work better. Storage isn’t a concern—campaigns are secondary content, and modern databases handle millions of records effortlessly.
This happens a lot—we get pulled into complexity and forget the real goal of the feature. Stepping back helps us avoid these traps and stay focused on what’s important.
In the end, keeping things simple just works better. It’s easier to use, easier to maintain, and ultimately makes life better for both developers and users.