Peripheral Vision

Source: https://notes.andymatuschak.org/z4geAr5cERWdJPrdhU5gy3N

Highlights

“peripheral vision”: when I’m doing one thing, it’s easy for me to fluidly notice other nearby things. (via)

Software systems, by contrast, often lack this kind of peripheral vision. (via)

Peripheral vision can spontaneously prompt actions (via)

Digital task lists live in a dedicated app. I have no natural reason to look at the contents of that app. If I need to fix a broken door, I’ll be reminded of that task intermittently as I walk around the house. But if the tasks live primarily on a digital task list, I’ll need to establish a habit of explicitly reviewing my task list. (via)

Peripheral vision emphasizes the concrete (via)

Unread digital books and papers live in some folder or app, invisible until I decide that “it’s reading time.” (via)

Peripheral vision offers context (via)

digital annotation listings usually display only the text I highlighted, removed from its context (via)

The primary “unit” in such systems is a single highlight or note, but that’s not how I think. (via)

being physically surrounded by the work is very different from needing to choose to “pull up” some element of the work (via)

enhanced peripheral reach increases our knowledge and so our ability to act without increasing information overload (via)