X is a Letter

What an ABC Book can teach us about simplification.

I was reading a standard "ABC Book" to my daughters recently and was caught off guard.

If you haven't read an ABC Book in a while, normally, these books take the form of "A is for Apple", "B is for Book", etc.

This book was no different for the first 23 letters, but when I turned the page to X, I wasn't met with the expected "X is for Xylophone" or "X is for X-Ray Fish". The page simply stated "X is a Letter".

It was a great reminder that sometimes the best approach is the most flatfooted.

Call something what it is.

Don't over-think it.

It was a great reminder because we can easily fall into the over-complication trap. After all, X has to stand for something doesn't it? Let's find the best word. Cross-reference the dictionary. Bring the team together. Spend weeks ideating.

There's a time and a place for ideation of course - but sometimes X is, in fact, just a Letter.

And sometimes that's all we need to say.

Thanks for spending time with me in my workshop,

Eric