Harrell begins by discussing morphic semiotics, a subset of semiotics which draws on mathematics to more precisely describe the structure of signs. I thought the way he used the example of Brawn at the Bazaar was very illustrative of the many concepts he was talking about, especially contrasting it directly against eBay’s user interface rather than an abstract app. In thinking about ways to apply the ideas to my practice, I think explicitly thinking about the deconstruction of a user’s representation into the specific constructs trying to be captured serves as a useful place to start no matter what is being designed. Specifically, the focus on how different representations enable different things (like the greater than operator only working on numeric representations) is more broadly applicable to deciding the best path forward in a design thinking frame.

In regards to the gestalt psychology principles, I have encountered them before, so they’re not new information, but it’s always nice to be reminded of them and have them at the top of the mind while designing. I thought the website did a cute job of demonstrating each of the concepts, and I found the Law of Prägnanz the most interesting. I wonder what the farthest you can push a concept is before the brain stops being able to simplify it, and what that would look like.