• Reduce user actions
• Reduce opportunities for error
• Do what we can for the user
• Don’t ask questions the user is not prepared to answer
• Help technical minutiae be sensible and understandable

Indicate the form elements that are exceptions; if you have fewer optional fields, indicate the optional ones. If you have mostly optional fields, indicate the required ones.

Can you do without? Can you do better without?
For any bit of data:

• Is this needed?
• What does it help me do?
• What decisions does it drive or help with?
• What behavior does it encourage?
• What would the effect be of not having it?
  For any control:
• What is the effect of choosing one setting or the other?
• Which setting is the right one? (maybe the other setting is not needed)
• What is the harm in doing it wrong?
• What is the harm in removing the control altogether?
• Can the system choose the right answer?

Some other principles that have informed recent work in networking:

• Don’t complain; automate or guide instead.
• Make success obvious.
• Reduce opportunities for mistakes.
• Don’t ask (for information) if you don’t have to (i.e. if you can get it another way)
• Reduce technical decision-making
  Simple is actually:
• Clear
• Fast
• Few decisions
• Doing the one right thing is obvious