IT Simply Works: Simplicity and Embedded Systems Design

The central challenge in resource constrained systems is indeed that there is often a dramatic problem of resources: little memory, no display (i.e., mediated control and interaction), and weak processors. These constraints are due to various reasons, including cost (in economies of scale little amounts can make a big difference) and constraints mandated by the host environment such as limitations on weight, size, bandwidth, or power consumption. In addition to structural issues, that already force designers to stretch and squeeze pushing the design to the limit, other problems may affect the design process itself, e.g. when developers must program for a system that is itself still under design: such concurrent development includes easily critical unknown unknowns. Design efforts under these conditions are difficult at best, and it is not clear how much of these constraints and pressures are really unavoidable. We believe that a perspective of designing for simplicity would frame the situation in a more favorable way, leading to systems that better use available resources, are more robust, and easier to maintain and use. In the course of the ITSy project, we interviewed IT experts and industry practitioners about their perspectives on simplicity principles within their research and practice, collecting insights and anecdotal evidence on some phenomena, as well as suggestions for possible principles. In this paper, we apply initial results from this empirical understanding of simplicity to the domain of resource constrained system design. We identify some recurring themes from the outcome of the interviews, and match these understandings for one specific embedded system case study.