Presentation by Frode Hegland with discussion, moderated by Dene Grigar on making text more visual, with a presentation on design and Author re-design case study asking the question: While still largely conforming to academic practices of formatting, how might we be able to make text more visually parseable? This presentation incldued a Case Study of the current redesign of Author for macOS.
Frode Hegland, Dene Grigar, Mark Anderson, Tom Haymes, Keith Martin, Bruce Horn, Ken Perlin, Andreea Ion Cojocaru, Fabien Bénétou, Jonathan Finn, Karl Hebenstreit Jr., Rob Swigart, Peter Dimitrios, Ge Li
AI: Summary
This was Frode Hegland’s birthday presentation where he demonstrated his redesigned macOS writing software Author, focusing on making text more visual and interactive. The presentation covered the dimensions of design for digital text, including roles of text (organizing, navigating, context, relationships), mental models for reading and writing, and various display contexts. Hegland showed how Author implements features like marked text (highlighting), comment text (fading), focus mode that preserves context by showing complete sections rather than just paragraphs, interactive outlines with keywords and citations, and knowledge mapping capabilities. A major highlight was the integration with XR through JSON export, allowing users to manipulate text and concept maps in 3D space using VR headsets. The presentation emphasized the philosophy that text should be freed from constraints, support different modes of interaction, and enable better knowledge work through visual and spatial manipulation.
AI: Speaker Summary
Frode Hegland presented his redesigned Author software on his birthday, emphasizing his art background rather than technical expertise. He demonstrated various features including marked text highlighting, comment text fading, improved focus mode that preserves context, interactive outlines, AI integration for tasks like keyword extraction, and XR capabilities through JSON export. He stressed the importance of designing for different roles text plays and different mental models users have when reading versus writing.
Dene Grigar moderated the session, asked clarifying questions about covers as graphical summaries, discussed interactivity theory with three levels, and shared experiences about academic dissertation requirements.
Mark Anderson raised important design questions about the placement of “Ask AI” as the first context menu item, questioned assumptions about writing in short headed sections for focus mode, clarified the distinction between the map and manuscript as separate resources, and discussed color requirements for light versus dark modes.
Tom Haymes asked about how text input methods change the author-text relationship, inquired about document size limits and processing capabilities, questioned the choice of ChatGPT over open source engines, and shared his teaching approach for AI in writing as a three-step process.
Keith Martin contributed to the word count features in word processors in the 1990s, suggested “discuss” instead of “ask you question” for AI terminology, provided feedback on color introducing visual noise and disability concerns, and expressed enthusiasm for getting hands-on with the XR features.
Bruce Horn attended briefly, shared an article about Douglas Engelbart, and had to leave early for travel to Seattle. As the original writer of the Mac Finder, he provided historical context about highlighting and selection on the desktop.
Ken Perlin suggested a three-level highlighting system instead of binary, praised the presentation as awesome, and discussed his lab’s focus on supporting multi-participant conversations with text in XR environments rather than individual document editing.
Andreea Ion Cojocaru brought a unique perspective as someone with strong synesthesia, asking profound questions about what people see in their heads when creating text. She was impressed by certain features like focus mode but couldn’t understand others at a fundamental level, leading to important discussions about objecthood and spatial interaction with abstract concepts.
Fabien Bénétou provided technical insights about the XR integration, clarified that modifications in XR aren’t saved back to the original document, discussed the flexibility of filters, and mentioned recent work with paper-based prototyping and billboarding behavior in VR.
Jonathan Finn asked whether covers are graphical summaries like titles are textual summaries, suggested alternative bracket types for UI elements, and discussed the challenge of creating standard conceptual spaces across different applications.
Karl Hebenstreit Jr. provided supportive comments and reactions throughout the presentation, particularly appreciating the design work being demonstrated.
Rob Swigart inquired about link exportability to ePub and other digital formats and expressed interest in applications to interactive fiction development.
Peter Dimitrios provided supportive reactions to the presentation but didn’t contribute extensively to the discussion.
Ge Li privately messaged birthday wishes and expressed intent to update and use Author after the presentation.
AI: Topics Discussed
WebXR. The presentation demonstrated Author’s integration with XR through JSON export functionality. Users can create knowledge maps in Author and then open them in VR headsets where concepts become manipulable 3D objects. Fabien Bénétou has built an infrastructure using JSON and filters that allows the 2D text and mapping work to be translated into spatial 3D environments. The system preserves content while allowing new forms of interaction in virtual space. There was discussion about billboarding behavior – text facing the user while being moved but staying fixed when released.
Gestures. Limited discussion of gestures, mainly in the context of XR potentially being overwhelming with gesture interactions. Ken Perlin mentioned that bringing “our whole body” into XR interactions could be complex but also provides new opportunities for text manipulation.
Other Topics. Focus mode redesign that shows complete sections rather than just paragraphs Marked text and comment text for different roles during writing versus reading AI integration for keyword extraction, text cleaning, and question generation Knowledge mapping and concept definition systems Typography and visual design principles for different screen sizes Academic writing workflows and dissertation requirements Color usage in interfaces and accessibility concerns Object permanence and spatial interaction with abstract concepts Different mental models people have when thinking and creating text
Interesting Anecdotes. Keith Martin badgered Microsoft for over two years to add word count to Word in the mid-1990s when he was technical editor of MacUser magazine. Dene Grigar defended her dissertation in a MOO (text-based virtual world) Universities had “ruler ladies” who would physically measure margins on printed dissertations with rulers. Bruce Horn wrote the original Mac Finder and discussed the historical term “highlight” actually making selected items dark. Frode’s son Edgar briefly appeared during the presentation before going to dinner
AI: Concepts Introduced
Marked Text – Defined by Frode Hegland as highlighted text that carries semantic meaning, appearing orange rather than traditional yellow highlighting, used to identify core concepts that make each paragraph skimmable
Comment Text – Defined by Frode Hegland as grayed-out text that can be excluded from exports or treated differently, allowing authors to include working notes that don’t appear in final documents
Focus Mode (Redesigned) – Redefined by Frode Hegland to show complete sections from previous heading to next heading rather than just individual paragraphs, preserving context while reducing distractions
Stretch Menu Text – Introduced by Frode Hegland as menu items that expand when clicked, inspired by stretch text concepts
Billboarding – Discussed by Fabien Bénétou and Ken Perlin as text that faces the user’s head position, with Fabien’s innovation that it only billboards while being moved but stays fixed when released
Information Compression – Frode Hegland’s concept that writing is a form of information compression, therefore interfaces should allow changing how much information is displayed
Object Permanence in XR – Ken Perlin discussed different types of knowledge objects in shared spaces: permanent wall maps, temporary whiteboard notes, and ephemeral conversation bubbles
AI: People Mentioned
Doug Engelbart – mentioned by Frode Hegland as his mentor who talked about symbol manipulation and proposed coloring text, Bruce Horn shared an article about his “Mother of All Demos”
Bill Atkinson – wished by Frode Hegland to be present, creator of HyperCard referenced for screen sizes
Leonardo da Vinci – mentioned by Frode Hegland via Edgar (age 8) as example of drawing and writing being similar pre-typesetting
Barbara Tversky – referenced by Andreea Ion Cojocaru for her work on objecthood and spatial thinking
Johnson and Lakoff – mentioned by Andreea Ion Cojocaru for their work on metaphorical language and objecthood
Janine – mentioned by Frode to Keith Martin as a common friend who wanted AI to ask journaling questions
Randall – mentioned by Frode Hegland as someone who couldn’t attend but encouraged “wasting pixels” in XR
Edgar – quoted by Frode Hegland as an 8-year-old who said drawing and writing were the same thing before typesetting
Fabio – romance novel cover model mentioned in discussion about book covers and selling points
Fabien – praised extensively by Frode Hegland for technical work on XR integration
Peter – mentioned as not being present but having discussed memory palaces
Dene – referenced for handling interruptions and preferring margin notes to stay visible
Andrea (should be Andreea) – praised by Frode Hegland for her spatial work and questioned about synesthetic experiences
Jonathan – credited by Frode Hegland for helping understand typography and typesetting constraints
AI: Product or Company Names Mentioned
Author – Frode Hegland’s macOS writing software being demonstrated and redesigned
Apple – mentioned by Frode Hegland as promoting Author, also contextually through Mac/macOS references
ChatGPT – used in Author for AI features, with discussion about moving to open source alternatives
Google Docs – mentioned by Tom Haymes for drafting and Tom Haymes as writing platform
Microsoft Word – referenced for word count history and dissertation formatting
Keynote – mentioned as example of non-Author documents that can be linked
HyperCard – referenced by Frode Hegland for preferred screen sizes and Bill Atkinson
Vision Pro – mentioned in context of new D-Day filmmaker app with film strips
MacUser magazine – Keith Martin’s former publication where he advocated for word count
QuickTime – Keith Martin’s 1991/92 undergraduate dissertation topic
SyQuest – storage disk format Keith Martin used for his dissertation
LaTeX – mentioned by Mark Anderson as escape from MS Word
WordPress – Tom Haymes’ usual publication platform
Kindle – mentioned by Rob Swigart for interactive fiction applications
BibTeX – referenced as industry standard for citation metadata
InDesign – mentioned by Frode Hegland as example of layout software
Photoshop – referenced in development process feedback
Zoom – platform being used for the presentation
Future Text Lab – organization website mentioned for XR tutorials
Sloan Foundation – funding organization for the project
AI: Other
This presentation represented a deeply personal and intimate sharing of Frode Hegland’s design thinking process, which he explicitly described as “my soul bared to you.” The timing on his birthday added special significance, and he expressed gratitude that people would attend on such a personal day. The presentation philosophy emphasized showing honest work in progress rather than polished final products, with Frode noting he made changes specifically because of preparing this presentation. The discussion revealed fascinating insights into how different people visualize or don’t visualize thoughts, particularly Andreea’s synesthetic perspective challenging assumptions about mental models. The integration of individual document work with collaborative XR environments represents a significant technical and conceptual achievement, bridging traditional writing workflows with emerging spatial computing paradigms.
Chat Log URLs
https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/the-mother-of-all-demos-how-douglas-engelbarts-launch-of-the-pc-presaged-steve-jobs-and-everything-silicon-valley-an-excerpt-from-will-storrs-selfie
https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262134743/designing-interactions/
http://www.libanuspress.co.uk/book-typography.html
https://bsky.app/profile/benetou.fr/post/3lqjualikps24
https://ms-math-computer.science/posters.html
Chat Log Summary
The chat log reveals active parallel conversations during the presentation. Early technical setup included Bruce Horn sharing a Douglas Engelbart article. Participants engaged with questions about book covers as graphical summaries, interruption protocols, and design choices. Significant discussion emerged around AI integration, with Tom Haymes describing his three-step AI writing pedagogy and questions about open source alternatives to ChatGPT. Technical design debates included bracket notation choices and context menu organization. Typography discussions covered book design resources and visual noise from color. The chat showed strong support for the presentation with birthday wishes and appreciation. Accessibility concerns were raised regarding color contrast and disability considerations. Participants shared their varied writing workflows across different platforms and devices. Links were shared to design resources, personal projects, and academic materials. The chat demonstrated the collaborative nature of the group with real-time feedback and cross-references to shared knowledge and previous discussions.