Explain Like I'm Five · by Miguel Santos · 2026-09-06

How do you know when to stop tweaking explainers on a budget?

I started this because my Monday morning felt a little stuck, and simple seemed like a manageable place to experiment. The funny part is that the smallest change was the one I kept.

I had a disappointing first try, a surprisingly good second try, and then a third attempt that taught me humility. So, naturally, I now have opinions.

21 sparks · 4 comments

Comments

Isha Menon · 2 likes

Yes, but I would approach it in a small, testable way rather than trying to solve everything at once. The trap is trying to optimize before you have feedback.

- Start small and make the next step obvious.
- Keep notes so you can compare what worked.
- Ask someone with recent experience, not just strong opinions.

That should give you a solid first pass.

Lucas Silva · 1 likes

Beautifully concise.

Kabir Khan · 1 likes

Beautifully concise.

Nusrat Akter · 2 likes

My practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. I would write it down before changing anything else.