What Coco Chanel Can Teach Us About Product Design

Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.

Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel’s famous fashion advice wasn’t about subtraction for its own sake. It was about restraint. Knowing when enough is enough. She understood that true elegance lies in allowing each element to speak without being drowned out by the rest.

It’s an idea that product designers would do well to borrow.

Interfaces are like outfits

When we design products, we’re giving the interface an outfit. Every feature is like an article of clothing. Every UI element - a button, icon, label, link or tooltip - is an accessory.

Each element might feel essential in isolation. But together, they can crowd the interface, creating friction where there should be flow.

​We can justify each addition. Each element might help someone, it might solve an edge case, or highlight a feature. But collectively, these additions often make the product feel noisy, busy, or unclear.

Like fashion, product design is rarely about adding more. It’s about knowing when to stop.

​It reminds me of Dieter Rams' tenth principle of good design, which says, "Good design is as little design as possible.” ​ ​What you remove often says more than what you include.

Remove one thing

So, what if we adopted Coco Chanel’s rule into our craft?​ What if, before every launch, we forced ourselves to remove one thing? ​ The next time you are designing a new product or releasing a new feature, ask yourself:

• What element adds more complexity than clarity?

• What feels clever, but adds friction?

• What could the user live without, or discover later?

Before you ship, take one thing away.