The Dalai Lama once said that simplicity is the key to happiness in the modern world. This philosophy can be adapted into the realm of web design and digital interface design.

The expressions "Keep it simple, stupid", "Kill your darlings" and "Less is more" all pinpoint the fact that simplicity is important.

Simplicity lasts. Simplicity is necessary in order to properly convey any idea.

A Definition of Simplicity
What is simplicity? It could be defined as "the absence of unnecessary elements," or even shorter "the essence."

Simplicity doesn’t equal boring. Simplicity doesn’t equal shallow. Simplicity is especially important when designing information- and media-rich interfaces.

Simplicity isn’t a design style, it’s a perspective on design, an approach which often creates the most beautiful and the most usable results.

A common mistake is to think that obtaining simplicity is a matter of reduction, of reducing something which is more complete than the "simple" end result. On the contrary, simplicity requires serious thought and effort.