# Open topics **URL:** https://forum.zurb.com/c/open-topics/4.md?page=1 [Latest](https://forum.zurb.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://forum.zurb.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://forum.zurb.com/tags.md) **Page:** 2 --- ## [Exceptionalism \> Perfectionism](https://forum.zurb.com/t/exceptionalism-perfectionism/192)
**Author:** [@ben](https://forum.zurb.com/u/ben)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2025, 10:54pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/exceptionalism-perfectionism/192 "2025-11-18T22:54:00Z")
I’ve always been drawn to the concept of perfectionism. Not for what it does, but for what it doesn’t do. That’s why exceptionalism exists. A little biased here, but this archaic ZURB article summarizes it so well. N… --- ## [Balancing Doing and Thinking](https://forum.zurb.com/t/balancing-doing-and-thinking/358)
**Author:** [@nathaliesmith](https://forum.zurb.com/u/nathaliesmith)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2025, 3:39am UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/balancing-doing-and-thinking/358 "2025-11-18T03:39:02Z")
I keep seeing teams fall into two traps: Too much execution without direction → they burn energy without impact. Too much strategy without motion → they overthink and stall I \*\* think\*\* the sweet spot is where s… --- ## [Turn Assumptions into Systems of Learning](https://forum.zurb.com/t/turn-assumptions-into-systems-of-learning/336)
**Author:** [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [November 15, 2025, 2:36am UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/turn-assumptions-into-systems-of-learning/336 "2025-11-15T02:36:19Z")
I saved a comment a couple of weeks back from @Helge, as it was a masterclass in one comment. I thought it would be useful to better understand all his references: “We did assumptions testing as well.. on everything: f… --- ## [Spooky Edition: What Really Sells the Candy?](https://forum.zurb.com/t/spooky-edition-what-really-sells-the-candy/325)
**Author:** [@nathaliesmith](https://forum.zurb.com/u/nathaliesmith)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2025, 12:45am UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/spooky-edition-what-really-sells-the-candy/325 "2025-11-13T00:45:42Z")
We all know that the candy aisles have been pushed to the front of the stores for weeks now. While I can appreciate how good some of it tastes (Almond Joy hater), it crossed my mind that these little candy wrappers are u… --- ## [Learning Loops With Pavel (Glaringly Obvious)](https://forum.zurb.com/t/learning-loops-with-pavel-glaringly-obvious/252)
**Author:** [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2025, 9:58pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/learning-loops-with-pavel-glaringly-obvious/252 "2025-11-10T21:58:09Z")
I had a great conversation with Pavel Samsonov about why speed alone isn’t enough, and how AI without strong learning loops just creates more noise. He reframes AI not as an engine for endless prototypes, but as a tool t… --- ## [Increasing Product Value (Glaringly Obvious)](https://forum.zurb.com/t/increasing-product-value-glaringly-obvious/351)
**Author:** [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2025, 9:57pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/increasing-product-value-glaringly-obvious/351 "2025-11-10T21:57:24Z")
My recent chat with David Pereira about why so many product teams confuse speed with progress was great. David’s work focuses on helping teams shift from output to outcomes, moving past the “feature factory” mindset wher… --- ## [Frameworks Scale Creativity (Glaringly Obvious)](https://forum.zurb.com/t/frameworks-scale-creativity-glaringly-obvious/331)
**Author:** [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2025, 10:25pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/frameworks-scale-creativity-glaringly-obvious/331 "2025-11-03T22:25:50Z")
I had a great conversation with Barrett Kenney about how design maturity grows when teams move beyond patterns and libraries to build systems that think. His framework is an oldie, but goodie. Barrett has led transform… --- ## [Predict the Unpredictable!](https://forum.zurb.com/t/predict-the-unpredictable/298)
**Author:** [@nathaliesmith](https://forum.zurb.com/u/nathaliesmith)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/predict-the-unpredictable/298 "2025-10-30T14:30:03Z")
Was having a quick chat with @Kevin\_Schumacher yesterday and he brought up something I can’t stop thinking about! ”AI needs to be able to predict patterns based on humans, but humans are unpredictable.” And to that I s… --- ## [Where Does Data Fit in Your Design Decisions?](https://forum.zurb.com/t/where-does-data-fit-in-your-design-decisions/308)
**Author:** [@nathaliesmith](https://forum.zurb.com/u/nathaliesmith)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2025, 2:30am UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/where-does-data-fit-in-your-design-decisions/308 "2025-10-30T02:30:38Z")
Now, while I understand the trends change, I’m seeing now more than ever, the perceived importance of meshing Designers + Data Driven decision making. I’m curious for our peeps in this Forum: Do you use data day to da… --- ## [Simplify Concepts So That You Can Teach Them](https://forum.zurb.com/t/simplify-concepts-so-that-you-can-teach-them/250)
**Author:** [@ben](https://forum.zurb.com/u/ben)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 28, 2025, 3:23pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/simplify-concepts-so-that-you-can-teach-them/250 "2025-10-28T15:23:41Z")
Love this short clip from Simon Sinek around concepts and what it means to simplify them. Basically, this turns the spotlight back to Glare. What is Glare, and what is it trying to do? Complex things (li… --- ## [Design is how it works](https://forum.zurb.com/t/design-is-how-it-works/279)
**Author:** [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 22, 2025, 5:43pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/design-is-how-it-works/279 "2025-10-22T17:43:30Z")
Interesting that Apple is leaning into this idea right now… It’s always been a point of contention for product designers. It’s well done, but not sure why or who it’s for… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ueUb6PNwbs --- ## [Making Sense of Complexity (Glaringly Obvious)](https://forum.zurb.com/t/making-sense-of-complexity-glaringly-obvious/281)
**Author:** [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2025, 6:09pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/making-sense-of-complexity-glaringly-obvious/281 "2025-10-18T18:09:13Z")
I had an amazing chat with Dave Gray about how simple visual frameworks can help teams make sense of complex problems together. Every messy situation can be turned into something people can see, talk about, and work on… … --- ## [Ask better questions to understand why (Glaringly Obvious)](https://forum.zurb.com/t/ask-better-questions-to-understand-why-glaringly-obvious/262)
**Author:** [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/ask-better-questions-to-understand-why-glaringly-obvious/262 "2025-10-17T19:14:44Z")
I sat down with @Helge Tennø to talk about why companies can’t just rely on surface-level “thin data” like clicks, conversions, or traffic. Those numbers tell you what happened, but not why. Without insights into custom… --- ## [Designing for Better Thinking (Glaringly Obvious)](https://forum.zurb.com/t/designing-for-better-thinking-glaringly-obvious/269)
**Author:** [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2025, 11:05pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/designing-for-better-thinking-glaringly-obvious/269 "2025-10-16T23:05:12Z")
Most teams use design to make things. Ian Batterbee uses it to make people think. I had a great talk with Ian Batterbee about how design can help teams think better together. When companies focus too much on business g… --- ## [Shooting for Outcomes](https://forum.zurb.com/t/shooting-for-outcomes/191)
**Author:** [@ben](https://forum.zurb.com/u/ben)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2025, 11:01pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/shooting-for-outcomes/191 "2025-08-19T23:01:42Z")
Hey y’all, figured I’d drop a little bit of a thought exercise. Shooting for outcomes was the one thing that I’ve always found to be tricky to understand, but as time went on, it became the source of truth that I try to… --- ## [Use Impact Mapping to separate noise from signals (Glaringly Obvious)](https://forum.zurb.com/t/use-impact-mapping-to-separate-noise-from-signals-glaringly-obvious/188)
**Author:** [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 15, 2025, 2:56pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/use-impact-mapping-to-separate-noise-from-signals-glaringly-obvious/188 "2025-08-15T14:56:17Z")
I sat down with Büşra Coşkuner to talk about impact mapping, a way to make sure the work you choose is actually worth doing. It’s not about ranking your priorities; it’s about finding the right ideas to explore in the fi… --- ## [Great quote that I found reading an article around product biases and laziness](https://forum.zurb.com/t/great-quote-that-i-found-reading-an-article-around-product-biases-and-laziness/146)
**Author:** [@ben](https://forum.zurb.com/u/ben)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2025, 9:06pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/great-quote-that-i-found-reading-an-article-around-product-biases-and-laziness/146 "2025-08-11T21:06:33Z")
“Our brain is lazy by nature, and if your product offers several ways to achieve the same goal, people will use the shorter and simpler one. Don’t make it hard for your users with complicated flows, long forms, and exhau… --- ## [Where do good ideas come from?](https://forum.zurb.com/t/where-do-good-ideas-come-from/167)
**Author:** [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/where-do-good-ideas-come-from/167 "2025-08-05T15:43:12Z")
Adjacent possible… great concept. Love this article from Kelly Smith on innovation. My first job as a toy inventor helped me start to contextualize where good ideas come from- and most of them were just small increment… [Previous page](https://forum.zurb.com/c/open-topics/4.md)