I built a thinking tool and spent most of the time figuring out how to make the UI feel like the idea itself
I've been working on a personal project called disene a tool for understanding concepts through your own experience rather than borrowed definitions.
The core idea is five levels: Consist, Function, Perspective, Pattern, Essence. Each one builds on the previous. The interesting design challenge was making that hierarchy feel intuitive without turning it into a form.
A few decisions I'm curious to get feedback on:
The orbital metaphor Every concept renders as a small solar system. The concept itself is the nucleus. Perspectives orbit their Pattern. Patterns orbit their Essence. Essences orbit the nucleus. Things that didn't find a group orbit alone, half-transparent, dashed. I wanted the visual to carry meaning, not just look cool.
Solo orbits Not every perspective fits into a pattern. Not every pattern leads to an essence. Instead of hiding that or forcing groupings, I let them float alone. Felt more honest than pretending everything connects.
The graph Concepts link to each other by type Essence link means two concepts share the same underlying nature, Pattern link means same mechanism, Perspective link means they appeared together in your experience. The graph grows as you do.
Typography Geist for UI, Instrument Serif italic for anything that carries meaning quotes, examples, the concept title itself. The serif does a lot of emotional work that the sans can't.
Local-first No accounts. No servers. Everything lives in your browser. Optionally syncs to your own Google Drive. The architecture felt like it should match the philosophy your understanding belongs to you.
Would genuinely love to hear what works and what doesn't. Still early, still iterating.