• Value density: how much value someone gets from what you've built.
    • Value density = value / (time × space)
  • I want you to think about the amount of value that you're providing to your user. I want you to think about how much time and space you're asking for in return. And I want you to ask, is the trade-off really worth it?
  • Density isn't fixed. It depends on who's looking at it.
    • A Bloomberg Terminal is used by stockbrokers, so an extremely complex interface may be exactly right. Stripe serves daily users, so it should not look like a Bloomberg Terminal.
    • This also connects to Why Do We Find Some Code Easier to Read? (opens in a new window), which uses Gestalt principles to explain how experienced developers read code differently from beginners because they recognize it as patterns.