When we build an application, or even work with a platform like SQL Server, what' s the right balance between simplicity and choice? I'm not sure, but I think that the model changes for each person, and we want to include the level of choice that makes someone use the product efficiently, but with the least amount of options.'
Not sure I agree entirely with that one. Given most of us who build apps or work with SQL Server do so in a business environment (at least I assume so, and I know how dangerous assumptions can be...), I'd suggest the right model isn't what's optimum for any particular person, but what's right for the business as a whole. In many cases, the two'll be about the same, but there are significant differences.
For instance, changing a screen may only require an extra second of a user's time and add lots of functionality, but if most of the users are part of a call centre, that extra second per call can easily be a big bad no-no for the business as a whole.
Therefore, I agree entirely that paying attention to usability as well as outright functionality is an often forgotten priority, but it's also worth recognising the hierarchy of whose needs are most important to fulfil
Semper in excretia, suus solum profundum variat