The law of conservation of complexity, also known as Tesler's Law, or Waterbed Theory, is an

adage A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phrase ...

human–computer interaction Human–computer interaction (HCI) is the process through which people operate and engage with computer systems. Research in HCI covers the design and the use of computer technology, which focuses on the interfaces between people (users) and comp ...

stating that every application has an inherent amount of

complexity Complexity characterizes the behavior of a system or model whose components interact in multiple ways and follow local rules, leading to non-linearity, randomness, collective dynamics, hierarchy, and emergence. The term is generally used to c ...

that cannot be removed or hidden. Instead, it must be dealt with, either in product development or in user interaction. This poses the question of who should be exposed to the complexity. For example, should a software developer add complexity to the software code to make the interaction simpler for the user or should the user deal with a complex interface so that the software code can be simple? __TOC__

Background

While working for Xerox PARC in the mid-1980s,

Larry Tesler Lawrence Gordon Tesler (April 24, 1945 – February 16, 2020) was an American computer scientist who worked in the field of human–computer interaction. Tesler worked at Xerox PARC, Apple Inc., Apple, Amazon.com, Amazon, and Yahoo!. While at PA ...

realized that the way users interact with applications was just as important as the application itself. The book ''Designing for Interaction'' by Dan Saffer"Designing for Interaction" by Dan Saffer at amazon.com
/ref> includes an interview with Larry Tesler that describes the law of conservation of complexity. The interview is popular among user experience and interaction designers.

argues that, in most cases, an engineer should spend an extra week reducing the complexity of an application vis-à-vis making millions of users spend an extra minute using the program because of the extra complexity. However, Bruce Tognazzini proposes that people resist reductions to the amount of complexity in their lives.The Complexity Paradox, by Bruce Tognazzini
/ref> Thus, when an application is simplified, users begin attempting more complex tasks.

Applications

Possible applications of Tesler's Law: *Programming *Vehicles *Home appliances *Workplace equipment

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Law Of Conservation Of Complexity Human–computer interaction Software engineering folklore Software development philosophies