K.I.S.S.

KISS is an acronym for "Keep it simple, stupid" as a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960.

The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore simplicity should be a key goal in design and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.

The phrase has been associated with aircraft engineer Kelly Johnson (1910–1990). Kelly’s version of the phrase had no comma and was written “keep it simple stupid”.

Variations on the phrase include and The KISS principle is also offered in other forms (for those who feel delicate about the inclusion of the word “stupid”):

• Keep it short and simple

• Keep it simple and straightforward

• Keep it simple, silly

• Keep it small and simple

It was Albert Einstein who said; “If you can’t explain it, you don’t understand it well enough.” Though it is often mis-reported as being; “If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it well enough.” What Einstein was driving at was a particular application of “keep it simple, stupid”.

From scientific concepts to products the end-user doesn’t care how clever the creator or designer of something is. They care about being able to take that person’s output and make it useful to their own lives.

The simpler the explanation and the simpler the product, the more likely it is that the output will be useful to others.

Though both phrases technically introduce an “a” into the acronym – they both deliver the same message as “keep it simple, stupid”.

The objective of any process is to deliver the simplest possible outcome.