A more simple user interface, will add value to any application.
(1) We already have the option to develop custom security roles, reducing what a specific user will see in the user interface.
(2) We also have the option of 'configuration keys' to disable parts of the application. Disabling these (especially after the customer went live), is always risky.
(3) As a new feature we are able to customize the security role contents via setup. This is a really nice feature.
What's missing in my opinion, is to simply hide a module, menu item, tab page, field group, grid, field or button, then force this menu item to be hidden for everybody who is using the system. This might create the opportunity to hide all non-required functionalities before training the end-users. Reducing complexity of the UI, not actually impacting how the system works.

Jason Green (administrator) on 11/23/2017 5:28:00 PM
The personalization framework (as of Platform Update 5) already allows form modifications to be pushed to some or all users in the system. We would be interested in understanding any gaps you see or concerns you have in using this approach to accomplish your goal of presenting a simplified interface to users.