ZURB Studios — Client Call Rubric

January 24, 2026

Summary of the Call

  • Total SIGNAL score out of 30
  • Summarize what went well
  • Summarize areas for improvement

Score each 1-5 after meaningful calls or milestones.

  • 1 = Reactive
  • 3 = Functional
  • 5 = Leading

S — Surface Challenges

Intent: Expose the real tension behind the requests.

Why It Matters: Most client requests are symptoms, not root problems. If we optimize the surface, we create polished irrelevance. When real challenges are visible, priorities clarify and influence increases.

How to Do It Better:

  • Ask what is not working today.
  • Ask what happens if nothing changes.
  • Clarify cost in revenue, time, risk, or credibility.
  • Get the client to say the consequence out loud.

Evaluate:

  • Did we move beyond the stated request?
  • Did we clarify consequences of inaction?
  • Was measurable cost articulated?
  • Did the client acknowledge the tension?

| Score | Description | |---|---| | 5 | Clear pain and consequence surfaced | | 3 | Friction visible but soft | | 1 | Feature-level conversation |

I — Identify Outcomes

Intent: Define what "better" means in measurable terms.

Why It Matters: Without clarity about outcomes, stakeholders critique artifacts. Clear outcomes shift focus from screens to results.

How to Do It Better:

  • Translate goals into measurable language.
  • Separate user outcome from business outcome.
  • Write the outcome in one sentence.
  • Confirm agreement explicitly.

Evaluate:

  • Is the business objective explicit?
  • Is the user need explicit?
  • Are success criteria measurable?
  • Is there shared agreement?

| Score | Description | |---|---| | 5 | Clear, measurable outcome agreed | | 3 | Goals stated but vague | | 1 | Deliverables dominate discussion |

G — Ground in Signals

Intent: Anchor decisions in evidence instead of opinion.

Why It Matters: Design signals reduce politics and increase credibility. They create shared language across design and business.

How to Do It Better:

  • Introduce UX metrics early.
  • Show baseline, benchmark, or delta.
  • Compare options through signal.
  • Avoid debating taste.

Evaluate:

  • Did we reference measurable signals?
  • Did we show baseline or delta?
  • Did signals influence direction?
  • Did we reduce subjective loops?

| Score | Description | |---|---| | 5 | Signals drove conversation | | 3 | Some signal grounding | | 1 | Opinion-driven review |

N — Navigate Decisions

Intent: Lead the decision process and secure commitment.

Why It Matters: Direction without agreement creates rework. If decisions are not secured in the room, they reopen later.

How to Do It Better:

  • Provide a clear recommendation.
  • Explain why using signal.
  • Make trade-offs explicit.
  • Ask directly for agreement.
  • Confirm the decision verbally.

Evaluate:

  • Did we provide a clear recommendation?
  • Was it grounded in signal?
  • Did the client verbally agree?
  • Was the decision documented or confirmed?

| Score | Description | |---|---| | 5 | Clear recommendation and explicit agreement | | 3 | Direction provided but commitment soft | | 1 | Discussion without decision |

A — Align Ownership

Intent: Create clarity around responsibility and boundaries.

Why It Matters: Ambiguity creates drift. When ownership is unclear, accountability weakens and complexity increases.

How to Do It Better:

  • Clarify who owns which outcome.
  • Separate design responsibility from stakeholder responsibility.
  • Confirm decision authority.
  • Prevent scope creep through ownership clarity.

Evaluate:

  • Is ownership of outcomes clear?
  • Is decision authority clear?
  • Did we reduce cross-team ambiguity?
  • Did we prevent scope drift?

| Score | Description | |---|---| | 5 | Clear ownership and clean boundaries | | 3 | Partial clarity | | 1 | Ambiguity persists |

L — Lock Momentum

Intent: Convert insight into forward motion.

Why It Matters: Momentum compounds influence. If meetings end without next steps, value evaporates.

How to Do It Better:

  • Restate business impact before closing.
  • Reinforce urgency.
  • Define concrete next steps.
  • Assign owner and timeline.
  • Get verbal confirmation.

Evaluate:

  • Did we restate business impact clearly?
  • Were next steps specific?
  • Were owner and timeline defined?
  • Did the client confirm alignment?

| Score | Description | |---|---| | 5 | Impact and next steps locked | | 3 | Next steps soft | | 1 | Call ended without commitment |

Required Post-Call Capture (Non-Scored)

1. Talk Time Ratio (Word-Based)

What this measures: Who is carrying the cognitive work in the conversation.

  • Count total words spoken by you
  • Count total words spoken by them
  • Calculate your speaking share: Your words / (Your words + Their words) = _____%

2. Problem Ownership (THEM ONLY)

What this measures: Whether they are naming and owning the problem themselves.

Count the number of problem statements spoken by them.

Examples: "We're struggling with...", "Our issue is...", "What's not working is..."

3. Decision Language (THEM ONLY)

What this measures: Whether they are speaking like someone preparing to decide.

Count the number of decision-oriented verbs spoken by them.

Examples: decide, move forward, next step, align, approve, pilot.

4. Reframe Adoption

What this measures: Whether your framing influenced how they think about the problem.

  • List the reframes used by them
  • Count the number of reframes you introduced
  • Count the number of those reframes reused by them
  • Calculate reframe adoption rate: Reframes reused / Reframes introduced = _____%

5. Glare Automation Opportunities (3 Required)

What this measures: Where structured cognitive work inside Glare can be automated or AI-assisted.

After each call, identify three automation opportunities and tag the block.

Glare Blocks (Select One Per Opportunity):

Define

  • User Needs
  • Audience
  • Collecting
  • UX Metrics

Measure

  • Concepts
  • Hunches
  • Questioning
  • Findings

Focus

  • Initiatives
  • Methods
  • Comparing
  • Decisions

Lead

  • Business Goals
  • Workflows
  • Mapping
  • Results

For Each Opportunity:

  • Block:
  • Friction Observed:
  • Automation Idea:

SIGNAL Flow

Surface → Identify → Ground → Navigate → Align → Lock

It is a full decision cycle:

Tension → Clarity → Evidence → Commitment → Responsibility → Momentum