Finding value in "NO"

We believe that the ability to say no is the single most important ability for a company that makes great software. The world market is cluttered with software that is overly complex and hard to use - the result of constantly saying yes to every feature request that will bring money in the door. This is the key mistake that many learning management system (LMS) software developers have made, and it's why people hate to use their LMS. It's deep in our DNA to avoid this mistake by focusing fanatically on a simple, easy-to-use user experience. While we would love to say yes to everything, saying no in some cases is the only way to make that happen. 

Brevity and simplicity are remarkably difficult to achieve and things are only as good as they work. Some people think a simple software means that it is a slapdash job. They are wrong. To make something simple is a thousand times more difficult than to make something complex.

In science, a complex system that can be explained with a simple model or hypothesis is considered elegant. The structure of DNA is an example of elegance. The Canvas LMS is a complex system that is so simple to use. Canvas is elegant.