There is always a third choice!

Interesting situation yesterday. We had been debating at length how to present a simple user interface to quite a complex function and have lost a fair bit of time to it. We felt we had two choices. Leave it as is, which is sub-standard at best, or continue to try and improve it and spend considerable time on it. Our perspective had us stuck there. We thought we only had two choices.

Then Alex came along and echoed the rules that we are supposed to live by. Simplify it! Take it out. A light bulb came on. We took it out.

We actually had three choices but didn't see it; leave something that doesn't work that well as is, continue to invest in it, or don't do it all as it isn't worth the trouble of making anyone use it or anyone improve it.

This was a software situation but I think these rules apply to everything in all walks of life.