How a redesign can be like a good editing session
When 37 Signals redesigned their signup forms, the goal was to find a way to make the page shorter, but equally effective. I think they did a great job of it. What they ended up doing reminded me a lot of what I wrote about in my post about a lossy text compressor.
It’s all about removing what the user won’t miss
Although design priorities change over time, it’s always important to focus on cutting things that don’t need to be there. I think in the case of the 37 Signals redesign, I wouldn’t be surprised if, over time, they felt a little more bold about what they really need and what they really don’t. Of course, this stuff is very elementary, and anyone who’s used 37 Signals’ apps knows they excel at much more than the elementary.
That said, I do like to see the experts step back and take a minute to appreciate the basics. I, for one, know that I enjoy my work much more if I appreciate the basics, instead of bemoaning them.