We downloaded an Apple app on our home computer last night. Walking from the kitchen to the office, I glanced at our newly installed program on the screen and did a double-take. The screen looked like a children’s book!\n \nChildren’s books have big shapes, are basic, friendly, and colorful. The ultra-simple usability movement, heralded by the innovating designers of today, follows essentially the same principles: super-simple, easy-to-use, friendly web and communications design. It is true that interfaces should be easy, but are we cheating ourselves by regressing to elementary concepts?\n\nOur brain grows constantly and has for all time. Its neocortex is an exclusive product of that growth, and the only thing that differentiates us from primates and lizards. Our brains have gotten bigger because we think to survive; its our M.O. For all time, its our brain that has served us by solving environmental, emotional, and logical problems that physically we’d be unable to overcome. What happens when we cease to challenge ourselves? Are we stunting our brain’s growth and as such our evolution?\n\nAm I against keeping-it-simple usability and design? No. We work on learning and applying it every day at Blue Daring. My contention is this: let’s not fear challenges. Critical thinking is what defines us as humans, helps us develop intelligent solutions, learn and grow.