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Home ›› Agile and Iterative Process ›› In Conversation with Dan Ward

In Conversation with Dan Ward

by Josh Tyson
1 min read
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We talk with Dan Ward—author of The Simplicity Cycle—about R2D2, design for dentistry, and why simplicity isn’t the point.

Last week, I had the chance to talk with Dan Ward, author of the new book, The Simplicity Cycle: A Field Guide to Making Things Better Without Making Them Worse from HarperCollins.

Dan spent 20 years as an acquisition officer in the US Air Force, leading high-speed, low-cost technology development programs, and The Simplicity Cycle gives designers refreshing perspective on simplicity—something often assumed to be inherently good. As he points out several times in the book: “Simplicity is not the point.” The point is balancing complexity and “goodness.” Among other things, we talk about his book, his military career, and the finer points of sci-fi interface design. (MP3)

The Simplicity Cycle

The Simplicity Cycle diagram from Dan Ward’s book of the same name.

post authorJosh Tyson

Josh Tyson
Josh Tyson is the co-author of the first bestselling book about conversational AI, Age of Invisible Machines. He is also the Director of Creative Content at OneReach.ai and co-host of both the Invisible Machines and N9K podcasts. His writing has appeared in numerous publications over the years, including Chicago Reader, Fast Company, FLAUNT, The New York Times, Observer, SLAP, Stop Smiling, Thrasher, and Westword. 

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