lab notebook 005 / active prototypes · proofs · in progress
chapter iii · caboodle labs

where behavior design
meets ai experimentation.

Personal projects, prototypes, and proofs-of-concept. Each one exploring whether AI can solve a real L&D workflow problem, not just build features.

  1. 01

    Build the tool, not the feature. Labs exist to solve actual friction points that show up mid-project.

  2. 02

    Ground every prototype in learning science. Novelty is cheap. Behavioral evidence is the bar.

  3. 03

    Ship in public. Every experiment is a working URL you can visit, not a case study of what could be.

current experiments · 2026

the bench.

Five prototypes currently in rotation. Each has a live URL, a thesis, and a next-step roadmap. Click through to the working version.

    ai-built tool · workflow design live · 24-hour build

    inline stakeholder review system.

    A feedback workspace built directly into a client landing page using Claude Code. Pins anchored to exact positions, color-coded reviewers, a slide-out panel that groups comments by section with resolve tracking. No email threads. No annotated screenshots. No "jump on a quick call?"

    Thesis: Exploring whether AI-assisted code generation can solve real workflow problems mid-project, not just build features, but build tools, with a 24-hour turnaround and no design system to start from.

    • claude code
    • vibe coding
    • workflow design
    view experiment
    feedback design · adaptive ux live · prototype

    emotion-aware feedback system.

    Same scenario. Same learner response. Three completely different coaching outputs depending on emotional state. Submit once, see all three patterns. Submit three times and the system overrides your slider when it detects repeated struggle.

    Thesis: Grounded in Anthropic's April 2026 interpretability research on functional emotion in LLMs. Testing whether acknowledging emotional context before delivering feedback improves receptivity, and what that design pattern looks like in practice.

    • emotion detection
    • adaptive ux
    • self-report signal
    • multi-turn coaching
    try it
    systems thinking · workflow automation in production

    content ops dashboard.

    What happens when you apply instructional systems thinking to your own workflow. The daily brief, Canva carousel automation, a research pipeline scraping Reddit/TikTok/YouTube, and an analytics report — all automated with Claude Code. Powered by one markdown brand guide that every session reads.

    Thesis: If L&D teams thought about their own operations the way they think about learner operations, what would change? Turns out: a lot.

    • claude code
    • cowork
    • notion
    • canva
    • apify
    • gmail api
    • google calendar
    • netlify
    view experiment
    programmatic media · mcp live · early stage

    programmatic video & content automation.

    Remotion for version-controlled video templates. Claude Code + MCP for automated Canva carousel generation. From a structured content queue to published assets with no manual design work.

    Thesis: Exploring whether programmatic video generation and MCP-driven design tools can replace manual asset production for L&D teams building job aids, micro-videos, onboarding, and visual guides.

    • remotion
    • claude code
    • mcp
    • canva
    • react
    view experiment
    microlearning · behavioral nudges live · demo

    context-aware microlearning.

    Pick a moment. Giving difficult feedback. Onboarding someone new. Stuck on a design decision. Prepping for a stakeholder meeting. The phone comes alive with a personalized micro-intervention designed for that exact context.

    Thesis: The 2026 definition of microlearning is not shorter content. It is content that shows up at the moment of need, adapts to context, and triggers a specific decision or habit.

    • moment-of-need
    • behavioral nudges
    • context routing
    try it
why labs exist
the thinking is the job.
the labs are where the thinking gets tested.
caboodle design · 2026
next field note

read the notebook.

The thinking behind the experiments, plus weekly observations on what's actually shifting in L&D.

field notes