When a product feels hard to use, the problem is often not the number of controls. It is the amount of context someone has to remember. What happened before? What can I do now? Who has the next step? What changes if I continue?
I have seen teams remove buttons and call the result simpler. The screen gets cleaner, but the job stays confusing. I would rather make the job easier to follow.
Begin with the decision
Before drawing a flow, I try to name the decision a person is making at each step. What context do they need? Which options are genuinely available? What will be true afterward?
This often uncovers gaps in the product rules or data model before they turn into interface problems. Sometimes the screen is confusing because the underlying decision has not been defined clearly enough.
Show the state
People should be able to see where they are, what the system knows, and what still needs attention. Good labels, useful defaults, clear validation, and actions that can be undone all help.
When state is visible, users do less guessing. Product, design, and engineering also have something concrete to discuss instead of each holding a different version of the workflow in their heads.
Some complexity belongs there
Insurance, finance, and collaborative planning contain real rules and real consequences. Hiding those rules does not make the work simpler. It usually makes the product harder to trust.
I am not trying to make complex work look empty. I want the next decision to feel clear, with no surprises after someone clicks continue.