The simpler essential use case implies a different architecture for the user interface. The team that simplified the use case, created a prototype design that surfaced the standardized test list at the top level on the main screen. That design was organized along the lines shown in the figure to the left below, allowing the most straightforward common tasks to be carried out without switching screens. One should not, of course, naively apply this notion to everything. Carried to its absurd extreme, surfacing user interface controls to save user steps would put everything on the opening screen or dialogue.
All design is a matter of tradeoffs, and the trick is to choose where to draw the line.
In this simplified example, the line is drawn at the simplest use cases for the simplest uses. In relatively small design problems, an experienced designer might well spot the opportunities for simplified operation with or without good essential use cases. However, when the stakes are escalated to systems with scores of use cases, the merits of simplifying use cases to their bare essentials can be substantial.