Thinking Toys and Diegesis

Lesson 21: Media for Thought

A look at the various folks who have explored how interactive media can help build new thought.

Objective

Examine how interactive visualizations can serve as media for thought, enabling users to explore data and ideas beyond prescribed narratives. Finally taking a direct look at explorable explanations, thinking toys, and diegetic design.

Outline

This lecture explores the concept of "media for thought" which are interactive experiences designed as tools for exploration and discovery rather than just presentation. Drawing from key thinkers in computing, design, and interaction, we examine how to create visualizations that empower users as co-creators of meaning.

Historical foundations

Early pioneers established the theoretical groundwork for interactive media as tools for thinking.

• Donald Bitzer pioneered early interactive educational computing with the PLATO system.
• Kenneth Iverson argued in "Notation as a Tool of Thought" (1980) that notation shapes what we can think and increases mental power.
• Mathematical notation provides a well-developed example of language as a tool of thought.
• These early systems demonstrated how computers could be tools for thinking, not just calculation.

Bret Victor and explorable explanations

Victor's work influenced modern understanding of explorable media.

• Created "Explorable Explanations" (2011) and "Stop Drawing Dead Fish" (2012).
• Active reading allows readers to ask questions, consider alternatives, and test claims.
• Traditional reading environments display only the author's argument while the reader's thoughts remain internal and invisible.
• Interactive media can externalize and make concrete the reader's exploration, moving from passive consumption to active investigation.

Maggie Appleton on cultural practices

Appleton focuses on programming as cultural practice rather than computational object and tools which allow users to re-program them in-situ.

• Explores programming portals and learnable programming.
• Advocates for intertwining graphical representations with programming.
• Programming systems should be open-ended and flexible.
• Visual interfaces should not replace syntax entirely but provide the best of both worlds.
• Consider that tools for thought are cultural objects.

Nicky Case and discovery through play

Case creates explorable explanations where users discover insights through experimentation.

• "Parable of the Polygons" explores how small individual biases lead to large collective segregation.
• "Evolution of Trust" examines game theory through interactive simulation.
• Users discover insights through play and experimentation rather than being told conclusions.
• Demonstrates the power of user-driven discovery in understanding complex systems.

Design principles for media for thought

Creating effective interactive experiences requires specific approaches.

• Assume the user is a co-creator of meaning rather than prescribing a single interpretation.
• Create space for exploration outside your narrative, moving beyond "ghost train ride" models toward "open world" experiences.
• Offer meaningful controls within clear possibility spaces with clear feedback loops.
• Balance freedom with comprehensibility to support serendipitous discovery.

Note: Yatzee Crowshaw also established some of these ideas.

Diegetic elements and possibility space

Two key concepts for designing interactive experiences.

• Diegetic elements are interface controls that exist within the world of the visualization itself, feeling natural and integrated rather than external.
• Possibility space defines the abstract range of what users can do within the experience, establishing boundaries of exploration.
• The challenge is creating enough freedom for genuine exploration while maintaining coherence and preventing users from getting lost.
• Clear user loops provide feedback that helps users understand the effects of their actions.

Applications in data visualization

Media for thought transforms traditional visualization approaches.

• Traditional visualizations often function as arguments with designer-driven messages.
• Media for thought gives users agency over prescribed messages, making them co-creators with the tool.
• Policy exploration tools allow stakeholders to test scenarios and see projected outcomes.
• Examples include the Global Plastics AI Policy Tool, En-ROADS Climate Simulator, Income Gaps explorer, and Parable of the Polygons.

Group activity: exploring explorables

Students explore https://explorabl.es to experience diverse approaches.

• Find an explorable explanation and identify its user loops.
• Analyze what the user loop adds that a static equivalent would not have.
• Understand how interactivity transforms comprehension and identify effective design patterns.
• Consider the value-add of interaction over static presentation.

Take Aways

Interactive visualizations can become media for thought when they empower users to explore, discover, and create meaning as co-authors rather than passive consumers.

• Media for thought elevates users from consumers to co-authors of understanding.
• Effective designs assume users are co-creators, create space for exploration outside prescribed narratives, and offer meaningful controls within clear possibility spaces.
• Diegetic elements integrate controls naturally within the visualization world, while possibility space defines the boundaries of user exploration.
• Historical foundations from Bitzer, Iverson, Victor, Appleton, and Case inform modern approaches to explorable explanations and thinking toys.
• Applications range from policy tools to educational visualizations, all sharing the goal of user-driven discovery.

Citations

[1] A. Shatov, "White Digital Device at 12 00," Unsplash, 2021. Available: https://unsplash.com/photos/white-digital-device-at-12-00-DHl49oyrn7Y

[2] B. Victor, "Stop Drawing Dead Fish," SIGGRAPH, 2012. Available: https://vimeo.com/64895205

[3] Wikipedia Contributors, "PLATO," Wikimedia Foundation, 2025. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLATO_(computer_system)

[4] Kenneth E. Iverson Estates, "Kenneth Eugene Iverson (17 December 1920 – 19 October 2004)," Wikimedia Foundation, 2017. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_E._Iverson#/media/File:Kei_younger.jpg

[5] The Grainger College of Engineering, "Donald L. Bitzer," University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2004. Available: https://grainger.illinois.edu/alumni/distinguished/Donald-Bitzer

[6] K. Iverson, "Notation as a Tool of Thought," ACM, 1980. doi: 10.1145/358896.358899

[7] B. Victor, "Bret Victor," Wikimedia Foundation, 2013. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bret_Victor#/media/File:Bret_Victor.png

[8] B. Victor, "Explorable Explanations," Bret Victor, 2011. Available: https://worrydream.com/ExplorableExplanations/

[9] M. Appleton, "Programming Portals," Maggie Appleton, 2022. Available: https://maggieappleton.com/programming-portals/

[10] M. Appleton, "Tools for Thought as Cultural Practices, not Computational Objects," Maggie Appleton, 2025. Available: https://maggieappleton.com/tools-thought-talk

[11] M. Appleton, "Maggie Appleton," Maggie Appleton. Available: https://maggieappleton.com/about

[12] GDC, "Nicky Case 2019 Crop Photo," Wikimedia Foundation, 2025. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicky_Case#/media/File:Nicky_Case_-_Game_Developers_Conference_2019_Crop.png

License

This lesson is part of Interactive Data Science and Visualization and is released under a CC-BY-NC 4.0 license.