This week, we break down Occam’s Razor as a practical tool for faster, cleaner decision-making. From troubleshooting bugs to interpreting teammate behavior, we explore why starting with the simplest explanation first prevents stalled projects, wasted cycles, and unnecessary team friction.

What would happen if your team stopped jumping to complex explanations and started solving problems from the simplest point forward?

This week on the Cognition Catalog, we explore Occam’s Razor through a lens most teams rarely consider: operational clarity. We all talk about avoiding assumptions, but the truth is that most slowdowns in cross-functional work happen because we add assumptions instead of stripping them away. Occam’s Razor gives us a mental model to prevent that.

I share a real example of how one missed Friday message spiraled into a completely avoidable narrative—all because I skipped the simplest explanation. But this isn’t just about communication. The same thing happens in product reviews, sprint planning, bug triage, data interpretation, and even strategic debates. The more complexity we add early, the harder it becomes to make good decisions.

We dig into how starting simple doesn’t make you naive, it makes you fast. It helps reduce noise, focus conversations, and unlock the clarity teams need to move forward. If you want a smoother workflow, fewer misunderstandings, and fewer dramatic leaps in logic, give this one a listen.

Topics:

• 00:00 - Introduction: Overthinking Simple Problems

• 00:50 - Welcome to Cognition Catalog

• 01:18 - Sponsor Shoutout: Mobbin

• 02:03 - A Personal Story of Overcomplication

• 02:57 - Understanding Occam's Razor

• 04:50 - Applying Occam's Razor in Team Dynamics

• 06:51 - Practical Takeaways from Occam's Razor

To explore more about the Naive Cynicism, don’t miss the full article @ ⁠cognitioncatalog.com⁠

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In this special Halloween episode, we follow Evelyn—a weary UX researcher trapped in a testing loop that refuses to end. Each new participant looks strangely familiar. Each test begins the same way. And no matter what she changes, they all say the same thing: “I can’t find the button.”

The real horror? It’s not the prototype that’s broken… It’s her process.

Today, we’re trading our usual interviews for a Halloween story straight out of every designer’s worst nightmare: The Infinite Usability Test.

Meet Evelyn—a mid-level UX researcher running a morning of user tests that won’t quit. Every time she adjusts the design, another “Alex” walks in and repeats the same fateful words: “I can’t find the button.”

As the day unravels, Evelyn realizes she’s stuck in more than a bad sprint—she’s caught in a validation loop. Each fix only pulls her deeper into the same mistakes, and each round of testing brings her face-to-face with the one insight she’s been avoiding all along.

Because sometimes, the scariest thing in UX isn’t user feedback…

It’s hearing something you didn’t expect.

Join us for a hauntingly familiar tale about deadlines, doubt, and the difference between proving you’re right and learning that you’re not.

Will Evelyn escape the room—or will she keep testing until the end of time?

Tune in to find out… if you dare.

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Featuring Actress and UX Designer extraordinaire, Stephanie Terrero

If you enjoyed this spooky UX Design scary story, check out our previous episodes:

• The Stakeholder from Hell

• The Tale of the Cursed Prototype

• A Cautionary Tale of Deceptive UX Patterns

—

Thanks for listening! We hope you dug today’s episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts! And if you really enjoyed today’s episode, why don’t you leave a five-star review? Or tell some friends! It will help us out a ton.

If you haven’t already, sign up for our email list. We won’t spam you. Pinky swear.

• ⁠Get a FREE audiobook AND support the show⁠

• ⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠

• ⁠Check out show transcripts⁠

• ⁠Check out our website⁠

• ⁠Subscribe on Apple Podcasts⁠

• ⁠Subscribe on Spotify⁠

• ⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠

• ⁠Subscribe on Stitcher