LAB ENTRY / EX—006
Signal Garden
A spatial interface that clusters saved links, notes, and half-formed ideas by how often they resurface together.
Data Visualization
Aug 2026
The question
Can a personal information stream feel more like tending a garden than clearing an inbox?
The hypothesis
If related fragments are allowed to gather visually over time, useful themes will become visible without rigid folders or constant manual sorting.
What I built
A browser prototype that embeds short notes locally, maps semantic neighbors, and renders each cluster as a slowly changing plot. Items grow brighter when revisited and fade when ignored.
What happened
The garden metaphor made neglected material easier to notice, but the first layout became noisy after roughly two hundred items. A quieter density model is now in testing.
What worked
Spatial memory was stronger than expected. Returning to a familiar cluster was faster than searching by keyword, especially for notes with vague titles.
What failed
The first force-directed layout never truly settled. It made the interface feel alive, but also made familiar things move when they should have stayed put.
What surprised me
People treated empty space as meaningful. They read isolated notes as unresolved questions rather than uncategorized leftovers.
What I learned
A useful ambient interface needs stable landmarks. Organic motion helps discovery only when it does not erase memory.
What happens next
Freeze established clusters, test a weekly growth summary, and decide whether the garden should remain personal or become a shareable research surface.