#302: The team chats about little changes leading to big outcomes, including; video game patch notes, dietary changes, character adaptation, and the cascading effects of new information. Ultimately we conclude that small changes are only small in perspective – all change can lead to big outcomes.

Josué Cardona 0:11
Welcome to gt radio on the Geek Therapy network. here Geek Therapy We believe that the best way to understand each other and ourselves through the media we care about. My name is Josué Cardona. I’m joined by Link Keller.

Link Keller 0:20
Hello,

Josué Cardona 0:22
and Lara Taylor.

Lara Taylor 0:23
What’s up?

Josué Cardona 0:25
So, today? I’ve been thinking about a few things. So we’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of GT.

Josué Cardona 0:38
Whoo.

Josué Cardona 0:39
Geek Therapy is turning 10. And there is there are a lot of big changes. But there are also little changes that we’re making. And I am I am shocked by how some of these little changes have made such a such a huge difference, I’ll give you an example. So I’m a new member of the team, Elaine Chen, helping me with graphic design, helping us all improve things that need improving. Not since Lara’s wife has anyone. So just matter of factly told me, this sucks. This sucks. She’s never said this sucks. But she has.

Lara Taylor 1:20
That’s nice, constructive criticism.

Josué Cardona 1:22
Like nina, yeah, maybe

Lara Taylor 1:24
got better after that, you know, this graphic sucks. And this intro sucks.

Josué Cardona 1:32
Nina is a little nicer now.

Josué Cardona 1:33
She is.

Josué Cardona 1:34
But Elaine has been helping out. And sometimes it’s like, even in the graphic design thing. small little changes make such a big difference. Like, like, just like, the little little tweaks like even don’t even like it. You familiar with the term? kerning? do you know what kerning is?

Link Keller 1:52
Yes,

Josué Cardona 1:53
it’s the spacing between letters. Right. So even that, like that’s something that I didn’t see, like I didn’t know before. And once I learned it, you can’t unsee it?

Link Keller 2:03
Oh, yeah.

Josué Cardona 2:04
Like, those two letters are closer than all the other letters are close to each other. That doesn’t look right. Like that’s why why is it like that? And it’s just small things like that can make such a big difference to different people. Anyway, but that’s like, it’s a small thing. But I’ve been thinking about how often and like you’re watching a show, you’re watching, you know, and suddenly there’s, there’s a sure there are big changes, but sometimes it’s like, it’s like a little change. That makes a huge difference. And sometimes there’s different versions of this, right, there’s, there’s the story introduces an element that seems small, but eventually it becomes very big. Sometimes there are patches and updates the games that like it’s like, the 37th line in the patch notes, right, it’s a small little thing. But for someone it can be they can make such a huge difference. And I think we’ve touched on some of this in terms of when we talk about accessibility, how sometimes something that seems small can make such a such a huge difference. Now, whether some of these things are actually small or not, it’s not that that is debatable. I think it’s, um, it’s relative, its objective. But I think that this has always been something that’s super helpful, where you have a metaphor for for change, and you’re working with someone or you’re talking to someone, and they, they, there’s, there’s something that there’s there’s a problem that they’re trying to solve, or there’s something that they’re dealing with something that is an obstacle or a burden, or just you know, something that is causing some kind of stress, and, and sometimes very, very small, like, we feel like we have to make all these huge changes, like, I don’t know, a version that I’m sure is relatable to most people is a diet, right? Sometimes you’re like, oh, like I don’t want to diet and exercise. And it’s such a huge change. It’s all these things I have to do. But sometimes there’s like one thing that you can change, by just doing a little less of one thing or a little less of another, changing the timing of things that, again, can be kind of small, can have a huge effect on your health. And when we’re talking about mental health and relationships that are some things that are just super tiny. Right? And sometimes they’re so small that we don’t think that they would make a difference, but they actually, they actually do make a difference. But I was thinking that, that when we recognize those and when they happen in like a game or or or in a show or something it it does make like it’s it’s easier to to pinpoint because it’s not something that’s affecting you. But I feel like the metaphor really, really works. And I know you and I Lara we we brought up the topic really quick yesterday, and we came up with a whole bunch of cool examples. So I’m just curious, the topic in general like does it does it bring something to mind? Like, how often does this happen? Like, with with clients where it’s like that, that idea of a small change, that could make a huge difference?

Lara Taylor 5:14
That, that comes up all the time, my own life, and with clients, right? Um, this idea of small changes, like, recently, client was dealing with discord drama, drama on their Discord server. And I was suggested, you know, how about, we just don’t open Discord. In the first like, half hour you’re awake, and do something else improve this clients mood greatly. because there wasn’t that immediate dread of looking at the discord and what was happening in the channels and the bid then fighting and all the stuff going on. It wasn’t it wasn’t a thing that they had to deal with. So they could instead enjoy their breakfast and time with their pets, and not have to worry about that till later. And just like it made the morning so much smoother, which then made the days so much smoother.

Josué Cardona 6:18
Have you realized what what did they did they think that it would have such a large effect on like, third day overall,

Lara Taylor 6:24
it was really more of a like, here, I guess I could try that. And then I checked in the last session we’d had and it was like, Oh, that was a big deal.

Josué Cardona 6:39
Cool.

Lara Taylor 6:40
Small changes, small changes.

Josué Cardona 6:43
That’s it. That’s it. That’s it. That’s a that’s an awesome example. That’s a really good example.

Lara Taylor 6:47
So moral of the story is don’t jump on Discord. Unless you’re happy with your discord servers. First thing in the morning.

Josué Cardona 6:55
Not all discord are created equal.

Lara Taylor 6:58
No, not all of them are. GT discord is pretty chill.

Josué Cardona 7:04
I can’t imagine. Yeah,

Lara Taylor 7:06
like I look forward to checking in.

Josué Cardona 7:08
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Maybe Maybe there’s too many channels. Maybe there’s been too much activity, but you know, not? Not. Not tidy city. Yeah. Well, yeah. Not one of those discords. Yeah. Yeah.

Lara Taylor 7:22
Small changes. And as far as like examples, we talked about, like web comics, right. Yeah. That

Josué Cardona 7:28
was a good example. Yeah, like,

Lara Taylor 7:30
when web comics, you can especially notice it when they put them in a in like, actual like printed book. And it’s because regular c...