I’m always frustrated by heavy processes. They usually feel like unneeded overhead to get the job done. Let’s explore that overhead world, as some is actually desirable.

Nudge theory

The Nudge theory is a simple concept that leverages the unconscious bias in each individual.

A nudge makes it more likely that an individual will make a particular choice, or behave in a particular way, by altering the environment so that automatic cognitive processes are triggered to favour the desired outcome.

Each individual will usually favor the least painful way to do something.

Therefore, if a pattern needs to be avoided unless really necessary, it makes sense to make it painful.

Water flows down

This is reflected in the saying:

Design for water to go down and it will work right away.

Design for water to go up and it will still work, but require a lot of effort all the time, as you need someone to pump.

And, no, automating the pumping act is not a good idea. Automation here is totally missing the point.

One should redesign the thing to fully avoid the pain, not automate it away. As automation is even more additional maintenance effort that piles up over time.

Overhead as a Nudge

So, the obvious conclusion to it is that:

A nicely designed process adds overhead on purpose to nudge its users to avoid it, and do the better thing instead.

So, each time you want to automate some overhead away, think about it : Is your water flowing down or up?