Tab Groups Discovery

Note: This was Doug Breitbart's main check-in topic during the OGM 2025-11-06 call, describing it as "life-changing." This page provides context on the feature and its impact.

What are Tab Groups?

Tab Groups are a browser feature (available in Chrome, Edge, and other browsers) that allows users to:

Organize tabs into named collections
Collapse/expand groups
Color-code groups
Save groups for later
Close groups without losing them
Free up memory while maintaining organization

Doug's Situation Before

The Overwhelm

4-5 browser windows across 3 monitors
45-50 tabs per window
Total: ~250 tabs
Tabs so small they couldn't be differentiated
"Emotionally, they're there. They exist."
Morning routine: "Overwhelming crap. Like, what do I do now?"

The Computer Impact

"My poor little laptop that could"
Asking "mini-computer demands" of it
Resources exhausted
Performance degraded

The Psychological Weight

Tabs represented things he "didn't want to lose" but couldn't actually find or use effectively.

The Discovery Moment

Context: At 69 years old, Doug's executive function as an ADD person had "finally fully matured"

The Process:

Saw something flash about browser functionality
Noticed "Tab Groups" in a menu
"Okay, I think this is my path to emancipation, to tab emancipation"
Because of newly vested executive function, "able to learn it and master it very, very quickly"

The Transformation

What Doug Did

Sorted and bucketed 250 tabs into groups
Closed those groups
Closed the browser windows
Freed up computer resources
Now only keeps 1-2 relevant tab groups open at a time

The Impact

"This is life-changing for someone like me"

Computer functioned again
Things started to flow
Could actually work
Not in constant overwhelm
Only relevant tabs visible

Zooming Out: The Bigger Picture

Doug connected this personal discovery to his core philosophy:

Core Belief

"Every human being has value to add and contribute"

Key Question

"What do each one of those individuals need in order to be enabled to contribute?"

Third Question

"How do we meet everyone's needs?"

Tab Groups as Example

Doug found what he needed to be enabled to contribute - and it unleashed:

"Flood tide of capacity"
Organization
Moving into action
"Unleashing the hounds in all sorts of ways"

Connection to Environmental Neurodiversity

This discovery exemplifies Scott Moehring's Environmental Neurodiversity hypothesis:

Neurodiverse people develop robust coping strategies
Strategies essential for them may now be needed more broadly
Information overwhelm affecting everyone
Tools designed for ADD becoming universally valuable

The Maturity Factor

"At the tender age of 69 as an ADD person, my executive function is finally fully matured"

This enabled Doug to:

Recognize the problem clearly
Find the solution
Learn it quickly
Implement it systematically
Reap immediate benefits

Executive Function Components

What Doug's matured executive function enabled:

Problem recognition: Seeing the tab problem clearly
Solution seeking: Actively looking for tools
Rapid learning: Mastering the feature quickly
Systematic application: Organizing 250 tabs efficiently
Follow-through: Actually closing and managing groups

Implications for Tool Design

What Made Tab Groups Work

Simple:

Native to browser
No installation
Basic interface

Powerful:

Solves real problem
Flexible organization
Visible results
Memory benefits

Accessible:

Always there in the menu
Built-in, not add-on
No subscription
Works immediately

Design Lesson

The best tools:

Solve real overwhelm problems
Are simple enough to learn
Are powerful enough to transform
Match the user where they are

Browser Support

Tab Groups available in:

Google Chrome
Microsoft Edge
Brave
Other Chromium-based browsers

Implementation varies slightly by browser but core concept is consistent.

Related Concepts

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