“Complexity: now available in six confusing formats none of which you asked for.”

Ever built something simple… then sabotaged it because it looked too easy?

Welcome to The Anti-Simplicity Bias — the sneaky EBD strain that convinces learning designers that “simple” means “lazy.”

In this episode, Steve Corney cracks open Chapter 8 of The Enough Bucket and confesses how he’s turned clean, functional courses into corporate drag shows of logic layers, jargon soup, and fake sophistication.

We talk about:

Why “too basic” is a compliment, not an insult.

How our fear of being seen as lazy fuels over-complexity.

The difference between smart simple and simple-minded.

How to earn simplicity instead of apologising for it.

Because learners don’t need your seven-step framework. They need clarity.

And simplicity isn’t a shortcut — it’s a skill.

🎧 Listen, laugh, and spot your own Anti-Simplicity moments.

Then join the post-episode chat on LinkedIn using #EBD and tell us your favourite “I made it more complicated than it needed to be” story.

In this episode of The EBD Show, Steve reads Chapter 7: The Pathway Paradox from The Enough Bucket.

The Pathway Paradox is what happens when our obsession with personalisation and “choose-your-own-adventure” learning runs wild. We spend months building multiple pathways, alternate routes, and branching logic — only to discover that most learners click whatever’s fastest to get to the end.

This chapter digs into the irony of over-designing choice: when our good intentions to empower learners actually create confusion, fatigue, and decision paralysis. Steve breaks down how Enough Bucket Dysmorphia fuels the need to build for every learner, every style, every situation — and why that ends up helping no one.

Expect humour, honesty, and a few gut-punch reminders about when more choice becomes less learning.

Join the conversation after the show on LinkedIn using #EBD — and share how you’ve battled the Pathway Paradox in your own designs.

In this episode of The EBD Show, Steve reads Chapter 6: Interactivity Fever from The Enough Bucket.

Interactivity Fever is that contagious condition where learning designers can’t resist adding more buttons, sliders, click-and-reveals, and drag-and-drops — not because the learner needs them, but because the designer can. It’s the moment where creative ambition quietly replaces purpose, and suddenly your simple learning experience starts looking like a Vegas slot machine.

This chapter calls out how EBD feeds the obsession with interactivity for interactivity’s sake. Steve explores why we confuse movement with engagement, why our love for features outweighs our love for focus, and how to cure the fever before your module turns into an arcade.

If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “But it needs to be interactive,” this one’s for you.

Join the conversation after the show on LinkedIn using #EBD — and confess your own symptoms of Interactivity Fever.

In this episode of The EBD Show, Steve reads Chapter 5: Justin Case from The Enough Bucket.

Meet Justin Case — the overly cautious learning designer who can’t stop adding just in case content. He’s the voice in your head saying, “We should probably include that… just in case someone needs it.” And before you know it, your neat five-minute module has turned into a 45-minute labyrinth of definitions, disclaimers, and double-ups.

This chapter dives into how Justin Case thinking infects good design. It’s driven by care and fear — fear of missing something, fear of being wrong, fear of leaving a learner unprepared. But instead of clarity, it creates confusion. The learner doesn’t walk away confident — they walk away buried under everything you might have needed to say.

Steve unpacks the psychology behind over-preparation, the subtle ego that hides under “just being thorough,” and why designing for the exception is the fastest way to lose the majority. You’ll hear real-world examples of how to stop feeding your inner Justin and start designing for what’s actually needed — not what might be needed someday.

Because great design isn’t about preparing for every possible scenario — it’s about creating enough space for people to think, act, and learn.

Join the conversation after the show on LinkedIn using #EBD — and share your own encounters with Justin Case.

In this episode of The EBD Show, Steve reads Chapter 4: The Clutter of Care from The Enough Bucket.

The Clutter of Care is what happens when good intentions go rogue. It’s when you care so much about your learners that you give them everything — every detail, every link, every download, every “just in case” explanation — until the message drowns in noise.

This chapter unpacks how compassion can quietly turn into chaos, why overhelping hurts more than it helps, and how to spot when your empathy has become excess. It’s not about caring less — it’s about clearing space so your care actually lands.

Join the conversation after the show on LinkedIn using #EBD — and share how you’ve fought the Clutter of Care in your own work.

In this episode of The EBD Show, Steve reads Chapter 3: Perfectionism in Disguise from The Enough Bucket.

Perfectionism in Disguise is the sneaky form of Enough Bucket Dysmorphia that pretends to be “quality control.” You tell yourself you’re polishing, refining, making it better — but really, you’re just stuck in endless tweaks and “just one more” revisions. The module doesn’t get sharper, it just gets slower, heavier, and further away from the learner’s needs.

This chapter exposes the signs and symptoms of hidden perfectionism, why it feels productive when it’s not, and how good intentions can end up sinking a project.

Join the conversation after the show on LinkedIn using #EBD — and share how perfectionism has shown up in your own learning design.

In this episode of The EBD Show, Steve Corney reads Chapter 2: The Stakeholder Super-Spreader from The Enough Bucket.

The Stakeholder Super-Spreader is the villain who can turn your neat, focused learning design into a bloated monster. One stakeholder wants their pet policy added, another wants a 20-minute video, and before you know it the whole thing is infected with extras no learner ever asked for.

This chapter calls out the signs, the symptoms, and the chaos caused when every voice gets a slice of the pie. You’ll recognise the meetings, the feature creep, and the quiet despair that follows.

Join the conversation after the show on LinkedIn using #EBD — and share your own Stakeholder Super-Spreader stories.

In this episode of The EBD Show, Steve Corney reads Chapter 1: Kitchen Sink Syndrome from The Enough Bucket.

Kitchen Sink Syndrome is what happens when a simple brief — “help new starters find the bathroom and log into their computer” — turns into a 47-module epic with drag-and-drops, branching scenarios, and a Vyond animation no one asked for .

It’s the purest symptom of Enough Bucket Dysmorphia: you care about the learner, you know how to build every feature, so you do them all at once. The result? Flip cards, accordions, variables, JavaScript — a course so bloated it needs a sitemap and a mascot .

Steve shares the signs, the symptoms, and even his own epic fail — proving that just because you can build it doesn’t mean anyone wants to learn it.

Join the conversation after the show on LinkedIn using #EBD.

In this episode of The EBD Show, Steve Corney explores the EBD Severity Assessment and how Enough Bucket Dysmorphia creeps beyond learning design and into everyday life. From rating just how far gone you are, to spotting EBD in the wild, this chapter shows that none of us are immune. Laugh at the symptoms, recognise the signs, and keep the conversation going on LinkedIn with #EBD.

Welcome to the first episode of The EBD Show, the read-along companion to The Enough Bucket: A Field Guide for Learning Designers Suffering from Enough Bucket Dysmorphia.

In this episode, Steve Corney kicks things off with the Prologue, unpacking what EBD is, why every learning designer suffers from it, and why it all comes from good intentions. Being a learning designer makes you weird, and this show celebrates that. Join the conversation on LinkedIn using #EBD.