Flexibility-Usability Tradeoff
The design principle that as the flexibility of a system increases, its usability decreases. The tradeoff exists because accommodating flexibility requires satisfying a larger set of requirements, which results in complexity and usability compromises.
Origin
The tradeoff was codified by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler in Universal Principles of Design (2003), a cross-disciplinary reference cataloguing 125 design laws. Their formulation distilled a tension long recognized in human-computer interaction, influenced by earlier usability work from Don Norman and Jakob Nielsen, and by the engineering principle that specialization improves performance.
Everyday Use
A Swiss Army knife can do many things, but it's not the best at any of them. A chef's knife does one thing superbly. Every time software adds another option or configuration toggle, it gets more powerful and harder to use. The tradeoff is real — and most users benefit from fewer choices, not more.