Some hassles are the point

Remove a hassle that stands between people and what they want, and they will thank you. Remove the effort that is part of what they want, and they feel lost.

Picture a family restaurant that puts a tablet on every table. Nobody has to wave across the room for the bill any more, and nobody misses that. But the seven-year-old who used to give the waiter her order herself, slowly and proudly, now taps a picture and is done. The wait for the bill was a nuisance, and the slow order was the best part of her evening.

Both took time. Only one was a problem.

Most attempts to make life easier treat all effort as waste and cut as much of it as they can. That is the mistake. People want the pointless steps gone and the meaningful ones left where they are.

So before you remove a step from whatever you make, ask one question: would the person miss it? If not, cut it and never look back. If yes, keep it. That effort is not a cost to apologise for. It is part of why they came, so show it off.

Cut the waiting nobody wanted, and keep the effort people came for.