John Wooden is famous for teaching his basketball players something as simple as how to tie their shoes. These weren’t kids learning basketball for the first time, they were some of the most talented athletes in the country. And yet, he believed that starting with the basics was non-negotiable. A loose shoe could lead to a blister, and a blister could keep a player off the court. No matter how skilled you are, if you skip the fundamentals, you’ll eventually pay for it.

That lesson applies to almost everything we do in design and development. Simplicity is the foundation for success, and overcomplicating things,whether it’s in a design, a workflow, or even your mindset, can hold you back.

Take development as an example. A less experienced developer might try to “future-proof” a project by creating hyper-reusable code and splitting it across multiple repositories to make it modular. In theory, this sounds great. But in reality, as the project grows, those layers of complexity become a massive time sink. Modular repositories can create disconnected systems, and future-proofing often solves problems that don’t exist yet, while creating new ones in the process.

The better approach? Focus on writing clean, understandable code that works for the present. Iterative projects thrive on simplicity because it allows you to adapt and scale without unnecessary overhead.

It’s the same with design. The most effective interfaces don’t try to do everything, they solve the user’s problem in the simplest, most direct way. When you prioritize clarity and ease of use over adding every possible feature, you create designs that feel intuitive and effortless.

The key is to focus on the basics:

• Does this design or code solve the real problem?

• Am I adding unnecessary complexity?

• What’s the simplest way to move forward right now?

Every time I find myself stuck or frustrated in a project, it’s usually because I’ve lost sight of these questions. Going back to the fundamentals, clean workflows, clear communication, solving real problems, is what gets me back on track every time.