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← When what is being tested is the underlying mental model, it is…
17 connected korrents · 16 moments from 8 Jan 2013 to 4 Oct 2026.
Everything filed under design
design
Everything filed under creativity
creativity
Everything filed under simplicity
simplicity
Everything filed under taste
taste
Everything filed under product management
product management
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LLMs Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Read this korrent: When what is being tested is the underlying mental model, it is probably not worth polishing, because the thing might not make sense; knowing when craft and polish are needed is important. When what is being tested is the underlying mental model, it is probably not worth polishing, because the thing might not make sense; knowing when craft and polish are needed is important. Last stated 3 months ago
8 Jul 2026
MC
Meaghan Choi — holds since 2026-07-08 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Experimenting with mental models does not require high craft and is better done at speed, in the open, in iteration than by polishing something that is the wrong shape. — tap to centre the map on it Experimenting with mental models does not require high craft and is better done at speed, in the open, in iteration than by polishing something that is the wrong shape. Last stated 3 months ago
8 Jul 2026
MC
Meaghan Choi — holds since 2026-07-08 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Small details add up: people who are not attuned to design still sense a product's overall polish. — tap to centre the map on it Small details add up: people who are not attuned to design still sense a product's overall polish. Last stated 2 years ago
21 Feb 2025
TC
Thiago Costa — holds since 2025-02-21 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Designing today means testing a concept, fleshing it out if it has legs, and scrapping it altogether if it doesn't rather than wasting time. — tap to centre the map on it Designing today means testing a concept, fleshing it out if it has legs, and scrapping it altogether if it doesn't rather than wasting time. Last stated a month ago
25 Aug 2026
JB
John Bai — holds since 2026-08-25 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Designers run through a set of subconscious rules, so product design judgement can be codified to some extent, and that is worth reaching for. — tap to centre the map on it Designers run through a set of subconscious rules, so product design judgement can be codified to some extent, and that is worth reaching for. Last stated 3 weeks ago
15 Sept 2026
NF
Nev Flynn — holds since 2026-09-15 — tap for who they are
Same subject: It is better not to spend time crafting the exact perfect solution until you know it works; getting an early version you can play with in the product is a really good milestone. — tap to centre the map on it It is better not to spend time crafting the exact perfect solution until you know it works; getting an early version you can play with in the product is a really good milestone. Last stated 6 months ago
8 Apr 2026
IS
Ian Silber — holds since 2026-04-08 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Maybe higher-fidelity prototypes can be tested and validated much faster and still thrown away, because testing an idea is often the point of a prototype. — tap to centre the map on it Maybe higher-fidelity prototypes can be tested and validated much faster and still thrown away, because testing an idea is often the point of a prototype. Last stated 7 months ago
10 Mar 2026
LO
Luis Ouriach — holds since 2026-03-10 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Details are worth digging into to make the experience excellent only once the foundations are in place; doing it the other way around can sort of be a waste of time. — tap to centre the map on it Details are worth digging into to make the experience excellent only once the foundations are in place; doing it the other way around can sort of be a waste of time. Last stated 5 months ago
28 Apr 2026
PD
Polly D'Arcy — holds since 2026-04-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: The skill that matters now is not prompt engineering but giving a model a way to verify its own work, and it is the thing people most often get wrong. — tap to centre the map on it The skill that matters now is not prompt engineering but giving a model a way to verify its own work, and it is the thing people most often get wrong. Last stated 2 months ago
27 Jul 2026
BC
Boris Cherny — holds since 2026-07-27 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A business is more likely to fail from taking on too much complexity than from lacking resources. — tap to centre the map on it A business is more likely to fail from taking on too much complexity than from lacking resources. Last stated 8 years ago
29 Sept 2018
TG
Tren Griffin — holds since 2018-09-29 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A business succeeds through a small number of highly effective distribution channels, not many mediocre ones. — tap to centre the map on it A business succeeds through a small number of highly effective distribution channels, not many mediocre ones. Last stated 3 years ago
17 Feb 2024
AW
Adam Wiggins — holds since 2024-02-17 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A candidate negotiating an offer should make every ask fit one line of logic. — tap to centre the map on it A candidate negotiating an offer should make every ask fit one line of logic. Last stated 2 months ago
9 Aug 2026
AW
Adam Ward — holds since 2026-08-09 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A big part of taste is delivering high levels of craft in an accessible way so that as many people as possible can experience it. — tap to centre the map on it A big part of taste is delivering high levels of craft in an accessible way so that as many people as possible can experience it. Last stated 5 months ago
21 Apr 2026
BJ
Brandon Jacoby — holds since 2026-04-21 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A company name can have different appeal to corporate buyers versus their customers. — tap to centre the map on it A company name can have different appeal to corporate buyers versus their customers. Last stated yesterday
4 Oct 2026
PG
Paul Graham — holds since 2026-10-04 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A first draft should not be graded good or bad; it is only the material that taste then gets to act on. — tap to centre the map on it A first draft should not be graded good or bad; it is only the material that taste then gets to act on. Last stated 2 months ago
6 Aug 2026
GS
George Saunders — holds since 2026-08-06 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A feeling of responsibility is probably the greatest inhibitor of creativity; great ideas came from people not paid to have them — tap to centre the map on it A feeling of responsibility is probably the greatest inhibitor of creativity; great ideas came from people not paid to have them
IA
Isaac Asimov — holds since c. 1959 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A free-wheeling, anarchic neural organization may be the secret of human creativity, at the price of susceptibility to mental illness — tap to centre the map on it A free-wheeling, anarchic neural organization may be the secret of human creativity, at the price of susceptibility to mental illness Last stated 14 years ago
8 Jan 2013
DD
Daniel Dennett — holds since 2013-01-08 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A system trained only on what is already known cannot produce genuine surprises, because a known thing stops being a surprise. — tap to centre the map on it A system trained only on what is already known cannot produce genuine surprises, because a known thing stops being a surprise. Last stated 2 weeks ago
18 Sept 2026
CD
Cory Doctorow — holds since 2026-09-18 — tap for who they are
At the centre
When what is being tested is the underlying mental model, it is probably not worth polishing, because the thing might not make sense; knowing when craft and polish are needed is important.
Holds Read this korrent →
Experimenting with mental models does not require high craft and is better done at speed, in the open, in iteration than by polishing something that is the wrong shape.
Holds
Small details add up: people who are not attuned to design still sense a product's overall polish.
Holds
Designing today means testing a concept, fleshing it out if it has legs, and scrapping it altogether if it doesn't rather than wasting time.
Holds
Designers run through a set of subconscious rules, so product design judgement can be codified to some extent, and that is worth reaching for.
Holds
It is better not to spend time crafting the exact perfect solution until you know it works; getting an early version you can play with in the product is a really good milestone.
Holds
Maybe higher-fidelity prototypes can be tested and validated much faster and still thrown away, because testing an idea is often the point of a prototype.
Holds
Details are worth digging into to make the experience excellent only once the foundations are in place; doing it the other way around can sort of be a waste of time.
Holds
The skill that matters now is not prompt engineering but giving a model a way to verify its own work, and it is the thing people most often get wrong.
Holds
A business is more likely to fail from taking on too much complexity than from lacking resources.
Holds
A business succeeds through a small number of highly effective distribution channels, not many mediocre ones.
Holds
A candidate negotiating an offer should make every ask fit one line of logic.
Holds
A big part of taste is delivering high levels of craft in an accessible way so that as many people as possible can experience it.
Holds
A company name can have different appeal to corporate buyers versus their customers.
Holds
A first draft should not be graded good or bad; it is only the material that taste then gets to act on.
Holds
A feeling of responsibility is probably the greatest inhibitor of creativity; great ideas came from people not paid to have them
Last stated c. 1959
Holds
A free-wheeling, anarchic neural organization may be the secret of human creativity, at the price of susceptibility to mental illness
Holds
A system trained only on what is already known cannot produce genuine surprises, because a known thing stops being a surprise.
Holds