The law of conservation of complexity, also known as Tesler's Law,[1][2][3] or Waterbed Theory,[4] is an adage in human–computer interaction stating that every application has an inherent amount of complexity that cannot be removed or hidden.
[5] The book Designing for Interaction by Dan Saffer[6] includes an interview with Larry Tesler that describes the law of conservation of complexity.
[5] The interview is popular among user experience and interaction designers.
[5] However, Bruce Tognazzini proposes that people resist reductions to the amount of complexity in their lives.
[7] Thus, when an application is simplified, users begin attempting more complex tasks.