The flexibility–usability tradeoff is a

design principle Balance Types of balance in visual design * Symmetry Hierarchy/Dominance/Emphasis Scale/proportion Scale in design Increasing an element's scale in a design piece increases its value in terms of hierarchy and makes it to be seen first compa ...

maintaining that, as the

flexibility Stiffness is the extent to which an object resists deformation in response to an applied force. The complementary concept is flexibility or pliability: the more flexible an object is, the less stiff it is. Calculations The stiffness, k, of a ...

of a system increases, its

usability Usability can be described as the capacity of a system to provide a condition for its users to perform the tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a softw ...

decreases. The tradeoff exists because accommodating flexibility requires satisfying a larger set of requirements, which results in complexity and usability compromises. Design theory maintains that over their lifecycle, systems shift from supporting multiple uses inefficiently, towards efficiently supporting a single use as users' needs become more defined and better understood, both by themselves and designers. When weighting the relative importance of flexibility versus usability, designers are advised to consider how well the needs of the user are understood. If user needs are well understood, designers should bias toward simple less-flexible systems. Otherwise, designers should create flexible designs that support multiple future applications.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flexibility-usability tradeoff Usability Human–computer interaction Technical communication