All-in-one tools make good explorations

• the user can explore the components and features of a similar tool

• examples:

  • Swiss army knife versus a toolbox of individual tools

  • kitchen-sink IDEs versus a text editor with a shell

  • roam:Zotero versus a simpler BibTex database manager

• oftentimes, all-in-one tools integrate multiple ideas together into one smooth workflow

• however, they also often hides complexity which can backfire if the user encountered an error;

• if the user takes the time to break apart the tool and study its components, they can replace those components piecewise resembling to what they're used to; this is where Simple tools make better workflows as they can reduce complexity