Before we apply AI, we must simplify.

As consultants McKinsey say: simplify complexity¹. Simplify, in this context, means the iterative stripping away of needless steps for user experience with Web apps. Apply Fierce Reduction until only the shortest path from intent to outcome remains.

Let's take a notorious example of ingrained compexity: the UK National Health Service. As Abby Innes¹⁴ argues, both the late Soviet Union and modern Britain (specifically the NHS and privatised utilities) fell into the same trap: governing by abstract models rather than reality. This becomes the ultimate Complexity Trap⁵.

So, of course, this is cultural, a state of mind. Wallowing in complexity is a disease everywhere in business. The signs are obvious: "I'm in back-to-back meetings"; "Our people are burned out". And so it goes on. Automation? This what Walter Buckingham¹⁵ said about Automation in 1961:

"The coming victory over paper. Some of the greatest wastes of human resources can be found in our offices. A major problem facing business and goverment is the rising tide of red tape. Automation promises to reverse this trend. The greatest (nonmanufacturing) potentiality for automation is the communication, storage and manipulation of information."

Fast forward sixty-five years and within the NHS today, the reliance on paper remains staggering, creating a hybrid environment that Innes¹⁴ would describe as a 'materialist failure', where the digital system adds work rather than subtracting it!

In financial year 2023-24, NHS in England spent £230.5 million on paper health records¹⁶.

Again, pointing to the complexity of the UK NHS, it uses the SNOMED CT terminology, which contains over 350,000 active concepts (NHS England, 2024¹⁷). This is the "Materialist Utopia" Innes¹⁴ warns about—a dictionary so large it becomes a language no one can speak fluently.

To simpify NHS electronic health records? The openEHR 'Open Source' model: The goal of openEHR is to create 'Archetypes': the basic patterns Picasso found in the bull (see below). Instead of 350,000 fields, the openEHR Clinical Knowledge Manager (CKM) aims to represent all of medicine through 500-1,000 reusable archetypes (openEHR Foundation, 2025¹⁸).

No doubt, we could quote numerous examples of the Sovietization of British businesss and government: financial services; insurance; life sciences, and so forth. So, let's now focus on the solution to the problem.

The following three sections of this Journal post sets out my thinking on how to simplify everyday business processes and practices, as the foundation for digital innovation with custom Vibe Coded Web apps:

• Apply Fierce Reduction: less is more - the right state of mind to simplify everything.
• Follow Laws of Simplicity: using timeless laws created by John Maeda⁹ two decades ago.
• Focus on Deep Work: remove distractions and focus on your key tasks - subtract before add.

Apply Fierce Reduction.

Fierce Reduction is the practice of aggressively simplifying all business processes, tasks and information systems by removing redundant or non-essential elements before considering additions.

So, Fierce Reduction is, first and foremost, an attitude of mind. From the outset, you should pause and take a critical look at everything related to everyday business processes and tasks to see what you can eliminate, before you contemplate introducing AI to power Vibe Coding¹⁷.

Complexity drains resources. Studies indicate that overly intricate processes and information technology systems can slash productivity by up to 40% (McKinsey & Company, 2020)¹. In sales, convoluted pipelines delay deals and bloated app dashboards obscure critical insights. Fierce Reduction addresses these pain points, freeing teams to focus on high-value tasks.

In most organisations complexity is now embodied in first generation SaaS: sprawling, expensive platforms with overlapping features, fragmented user journeys and rising per user licence costs. Fierce Reduction provides the way to unwind this tangle: retiring redundant modules, simplifying data flows and clearning the way for targeted Web apps that do less, but deliver more.

Pablo Picasso’s The Bull is a series of eleven lithographs created in 1945². It depicts the bull at various stages of abstraction, starting with a realistic depiction and ending with nothing but a few lines. This review demonstrates art as seeing basic patterns amongst the 'noise'; seeing basic forms amongst the complex. In business,

Fierce Reduction means the same: seeing basic, simpler forms among the complex.

Unlike minimalism, which reduces to a bare aesthetic, or Lean, which iterates toward efficiency, Fierce Reduction takes a bold first step: subtract aggressively. This proactive stance ensures that complexity is tackled upfront, making it ideal for fast-moving, knowledge-rich settings.

In 2021, American scientist Leidy Klotz wrote a book called Subtract³. He called this topic 'The Untapped Science of Less'. In this work, the author has made an extensive study of using less to change the system: scaling subtraction. This applies to digital data models.

Furthermore, Klotz goes on to talk about working memory: the cognitive system that temporarily holds the information we have available for processing - the trade off between the level of detail required to complete a task and our ability to avoid what others may call 'cognitive overload'.

As with Picasso's eleven stages of abstraction, it was the thinking observed by Ken Segall⁴ of another genius - Steve Jobs, cofounder of Apple that resonates here. This is the pursuit of simplifying every idea, every innovation down to its essence. To quote from Segall's first book:

"In all cases, it's a reminder of what sets Apple apart from other technology companies and what makes Apple stand out in a complicated world: a deep, almost religious belief in the power of simplicity."

If we think about less is more in the context of digital success with your apps, then we can take inspiration from Slow Productivity¹¹ written by Cal Newport:

"Do Fewer Things. Strive to reduce your obligations to the point where you can easily imagine accomplishing them with time to spare. Leverage this reduced load to more fully embrace and advanced the projects that matter most."

As Newport goes on to say, in your everyday working life, busyness seems unavoidable: clients demand attention, managers drown you in requests. What matters here is how applying creativity work can still be organised better. Maybe that includes having shorter, better organised meetings.

This leads us to thinking about how to bring structure to the creative process and generate best practices: following what can be called 'the Laws of Simplicity'.

Follow Laws of Simplicity.

In writing the Laws of Simplicity, John Maeda⁹ created a timeless work, nearly twenty years ago, on how to simplify everything business, life and tech:

01. Reduce. The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction. This law emphasises the importance of removing unnecessary elements and complexities to focus on what truly matters. In the context of Fierce Reduction, this means eliminating excess features in products or services, thereby enhancing the user experience and effectiveness.

02. Organise. Organisation of complexity is crucial in maintaining simplicity. By categorising and structuring information or processes, streamlining communication and operations. Organising information helps in a Fierce Reduction strategy, making it easier for your users to navigate and understand a digital environment.

03. Time. Savings in time can constitute simplicity. People are often overwhelmed by choices and information. Thus, reducing the time spent navigating complex experiences embodies Fierce Reduction. Simplicity applied to processes and tasks within digital innovation leads to significant time savings for business-to-business interactions.

04. Learn. Simplicity can facilitate better learning and understanding. This means stripping away complexity, so that individuals can focus on grasping essential concepts more effectively as features within digital platforms. It is Fierce Reduction. By first removing distractions, the core message or function becomes clearer and easier to absorb.

05. Differentiate. Simplicity does not always mean the same. Recognising differences can lead to innovative solutions. Fierce Reduction means focusing on unique attributes that, in turn, can lead to differentiation in the marketplace. For example, tailoring sales methods and embracing an AI-powered digital innovation can express these differences.

06. Emote. Simplicity is more about the experience than the object. Emotions play a critical role in how individuals perceive simplicity. Reducing complexity not only leads to better functionality but also enhances emotional engagement with new, innovative products or services. It's a key element of building and reinforcing belief in brand.

07. Trust. Simplicity builds trust. When something is straightforward and easy to use, people are more likely to trust it. Fierce Reduction means streamlining processes can enhance customer trust in a brand or service. Remember to subtract before you add: it was the key to the simplicity of the Google search engine User Interface (UI).

In their book Simplify, Richard Koch and Greg Lockwood⁵ cite powerful examples of what they called 'simplifiers': entrepreneurs like Henry Ford, who embraced a number of key principles that apply equally in today's business world:

• Redesign from first principles.
• Reduce product/service line variety.
• Reduce the number of components.
• Eliminate frills.
• Automate tasks.

What these authors went on to talk about was the Complexity Trap⁵: the tendency to think that adding new features to a product or service is the only way to retain customers. This is especially true for the information technology industry, where often, as noted earlier, the leading SaaS publishers will commit to several product feature upgrades every few months.

When we look at Salesforce, as a startup challenger in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems in 1999, it delivered on the power of simplicity versus established on-premise software publishers, Siebel, Inc. Over time, 'feature creep' has undermined this advantage.

The Laws of Simplicity become architectural principles:

• Reduce the number of systems users must touch.
• Organize data around end-to-end journeys.
• Differentiate through AI-powered resonance.

So now it's time to look at transforming existing information technology and apply the Laws of Simplicity, to materially improve everyday processes and tasks. From a human perspective this means creating an environment where all of your stakeholders' are allowing Reflection and also where Experimentation is fully encouraged.

In moving from an overly-complex Current State information technology to create a meaningful but simpler Future State, there are a number of tehniques, methods and tools that can be brought together to simplify and improve everyday operations.

Focus on Deep Work.

If we want to subtract from everyday business processes and tasks, we also need to deal with what has been described as Deep Work⁶ by Cal Newport in his book of the same title. The author here defines Deep Work as:

"Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate."

Similarly, and inspired by an earlier work by thought leader Nicholas G. Carr⁷, Newport, goes on to define the opposite of Deep Work as Shallow Work:

"Non-cognitively-demanding, logistical style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not create much new value in the world and are easy to replicate."

Of course, these books referenced above were mostly written before AI tech emerged. Today, AI has mostly an Augmentation role, as AI Assistants in the pursuit of Deep Work. Over time, AI will evolve into more of an Automation role, as Coworker to replace human labour for Shallow Work.

This also relates to Flow State. I am not talking about the Salesforce Flow technology here, but a serious work from psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi⁸ which talks about a 'Flow State' that means productive, satisfying Deep Work.

In summary, a Flow State generates Deep Work. This relates to designing an AI-powered app as an Augmentation of human work, where Flow can be achieved if:

• It enables timely task completion.
• It maintains the user's attention.
• It provides continuous feedback.

From a User Experience (UX) Design perspective, Flow State can be thought of as a need to create a 'Meaningful Journey' as an intuitive path through a process. This is where Design Thinking and experimentation is key to understanding.

Summary.

With Fierce Reduction, the Laws of Simplicity and Deep Work emphasised, Innovation becomes an opportunity to progressively improve all aspects of market-facing and other activities within your organisation.

The time has come to subtract, not add to Current State business processes and corresponding Salesforce and other IT systems. Keep it simple. Less is more. Before embracing AI in your Future State organisation, it is time to apply Fierce Reduction to your Current State to simplify.

Start with the broadest set of stakeholders and engage in Design Thinking¹². As this begins to reveal areas for simplifying business processes and tasks, This explores Current State services and systems as Future State areas for removing technical debt and improving user experience.

I combine Design Thinking with Value Engineering¹³, creating compelling ROI Models for setting out the priorities related to applying innovation with next generation Salesforce and Vibe Coded Web apps, moving from Current State to Future State. Example: Social Care Cloud.

Complexity is a challenge, but it’s one that knowledge-intensive organisations can and must conquer. Fierce Reduction provides a clear path to simplifying digital innovation and creating the foundation for next generation Salesforce and Vibe Coded Web apps.

Before you apply AI, simplify. Less is more.

Next ...

Let's explore how to simplify your processes and create your next Web app.

References.

1. McKinsey & Company. (2020). Simplifying Complexity: A Strategic Imperative. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/simplifying-complexity-a-strategic-imperative
2. Scott, D. (2019). The Bull by Pablo Picasso – A Lesson in Abstraction. Draw Paint Academy. https://drawpaintacademy.com/the-bull/
3. Klotz, L. (2021). Subtract. The untapped Science of Less. Flatiron Books. https://leidyklotz.com/media/
4. Segall, K. (2010). Insanely Simple. The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success. Penguin Group (USA), Inc.
   https://kensegall.com/books/
5. Koch, R. and Lockwood, G. Simplify. (2016). Piatkus.
   https://richardkoch.net/books/29-simplify
6. Newport, C. (2016). Deep Work. Grand Central Publishing.
   https://calnewport.com/deep-work-rules-for-focused-success-in-a-distracted-world/
7. Carr, N.G.(2010). The Shallows. Atlantic Books.
   https://www.nicholascarr.com
8. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow. The Psychology of Optimal Experience. HarperCollins. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224927532
9. Maeda, J. (2006). The Laws of Simplicity. Design, Technology, Business, Life. Cambridge, Great Britain: MIT Press.
   https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262539470/the-laws-of-simplicity/
10. Liedtka, J., Chen, E., Foley, N., & Kester, D. (2021). The Experimentation Field Book: A Step-by-Step Project Guide. Columbia Business School Publishing.
    https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-experimentation-field-book/9780231214179/
11. Newport, C. (2024). Slow Productivity. Penguin Random House.
    https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/454746/slow-productivity-by-newport-cal/9780241652916
12. The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. (2004) Stanford d.school. https://dschool.stanford.edu/about
13. Miles, L.D. (1947). The Lawrence D. Miles Value Engineering Reference Center Collection.
    https://minds.wiscon.edu/handle/1793/301
14. TheInnes, A. (2023). Late Soviet Britain: Why Materialist Utopias Fail. Cambridge University Press.
    https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/late-soviet-​britain/6F7E5039E8C77F5B191B933C6E15B1E1
15. Buckingham, W. (1961). Automation. It's Impact on Business and People. Harper and Brothers.
    https://www.biblio.com/book/automation-its-impact-business-people-buckingham/d/1255248309?srsltid=AfmBOoqlAxWGEGrYZUD11lvyJOY6KbGRoHdncdWqhbTAKY-Klwatr_Yc
16. Digital Health. (2025, July 8). NHS spending £230m annually on paper patient records. https://www.digitalhealth.net/2025/07/nhs-spending-230m-annually-on-paper-patient-records/
17. NHS England. (2024, November 15). SNOMED CT: The global language of healthcare. NHS Digital.
    https://digital.nhs.uk/services/terminology-and-classifications/snomed-ct
18. Kalra, D., & Ingram, D. (2025). The openEHR Roadmap: From Data Silos to Clinical Knowledge. openEHR Foundation Clinical Knowledge Manager.
    https://www.openehr.org/ckm/