Keep it Simple: Advice for Today’s Engineers

Valentine’s Day 2015 is almost upon us (let’s not all get excited at once, now). This past weekend, while shopping for a Valentine’s Day card for my wife, I couldn’t help but notice that every card I looked at mentioned the word “kiss.” After fumbling through the fifth or sixth card, my engineering mind started thinking about the KISS Principle. For those who are not familiar with the KISS Principle, let me explain. KISS, in engineering circles, is an acronym for “Keep It Simple Stupid”. Putting it another way, less is more.

The KISS Principle has been around since the 1960’s, and when I started out in the mid-1980’s as a designer, I would be regularly reminded of this principle by the more senior engineers I worked with.

Over the years, this method has served me well when facing difficult design challenges at work and even challenges in my personal life. Engineers have a tendency to over think and over complicate problems. In the STS Technical Services’ in-house engineering department, whenever I see an engineer struggling to develop a sound design that a customer will ultimately embrace, I remind them of the KISS Principle.

Unnecessarily complex designs tend to break down, lead to costly repairs and can also be difficult for your customers to understand and relate to. Keeping your designs simple and efficient can save your clients a lot of money in manufacturing, assembly, maintenance and replacement costs while also minimizing downtime.

So remember, the next time you run into a difficult design challenge, start out with the mindset of keeping it simple. Your customers will thank you for it and you will stay one step ahead of the competition.

If you would like to learn more about STS Technical Services in-house engineering capabilities, contact us today at 1-800-784-7410. Thanks, and happy engineering!