Thinking·OS

Graph explorer

Explore the knowledge graph

Affinity Mapping applies to Usability. Activate to inspect this relation.Design Documentation applies to Usability. Activate to inspect this relation.Design System applies to Usability. Activate to inspect this relation.Design Thinking applies to User-Centered Design. Activate to inspect this relation.Design Thinking applies to Usability. Activate to inspect this relation.Ergonomics influences Usability. Activate to inspect this relation.Ergonomics is part of Industrial design. Activate to inspect this relation.Fashion design is analogous to Industrial design. Activate to inspect this relation.Fashion design applies to Colour theory. Activate to inspect this relation.Form follows function influences Aesthetics. Activate to inspect this relation.Form follows function is part of Industrial design. Activate to inspect this relation.Garment construction is part of Fashion design. Activate to inspect this relation.Graphic design is analogous to Industrial design. Activate to inspect this relation.Graphic design applies to Visual composition. Activate to inspect this relation.Industrial design applies to Hardware design. Activate to inspect this relation.Interaction Design applies to Usability. Activate to inspect this relation.Jobs-to-be-Done applies to Usability. Activate to inspect this relation.Journey Map applies to Usability. Activate to inspect this relation.Kano Model applies to Usability. Activate to inspect this relation.Typography is part of Graphic design. Activate to inspect this relation.Usability measures User-Centered Design. Activate to inspect this relation.User-Centered Design enables Usability. Activate to inspect this relation.User-Centered Design applies to Usability. Activate to inspect this relation.Visual hierarchy is part of Graphic design. Activate to inspect this relation.Form follows functionAestheticsIndustrial designHardware designErgonomicsFashion designGraphic designUsabilityColour theoryGarment constructionVisual compositionTypographyVisual hierarchyUser-Centered DesignAffinity MappingDesign DocumentationDesign SystemDesign ThinkingInteraction DesignJobs-to-be-DoneJourney MapKano Model
Relationship types

24 concepts viewed through this lens. Bridge concepts connect this view to Aesthetics, Artificial Intelligence, Behavioral Economics, Bioinformatics….

Legend
  • Focused concept
  • Connected concept
  • Bridge concept (just outside the lens)
  • Arrow points from cause / source to effect / target
  • A line with no arrow is a two-way relationship
  • Node colour marks the concept’s primary discipline
22 concepts24 relationships13 disciplines5 relation families

Form follows function

Open concept →

At a glance

A design principle that an object's shape should be led primarily by its intended purpose.

Disciplines
Industrial Design · Design
Role in the graph
Cross-disciplinary bridge — reaches Aesthetics, Philosophy
Relationships
2 · 2 relation families

What am I looking at?

In this lens (24)

Bridge concepts (28)

Just outside the lens — they connect it to other context.

  • Usability14
    Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Industrial Design · connects to Affinity Mapping, Design Documentation, Design System…
  • Aesthetics1
    Aesthetics, Industrial Design, Philosophy · connects to Form follows function
  • Affordance1
    Industrial Design · connects to User-Centered Design
  • Analogy1
    Cognitive Science, Education, Educational Science, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy · connects to Pattern
  • Choice Overload1
    Behavioral Economics · connects to Trade-off

Insights from this view

Structural observations about the concepts shown here — descriptions of this graph, not claims about the world.

  • This view connects 13 disciplines: Aesthetics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Design, Engineering, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Industrial Design, Painting, Philosophy, Photography, Visual Arts.
  • Form follows function is a bridge concept — viewed here through Design, Industrial Design.
  • The connections here span 5 relation families.

Relationships as a list

The focused concept’s relationships. Pick another concept in the graph above to update this list.

Explore through a different lens

A lens is a deterministic projection of the graph. Pick a discipline, thinking pattern or journey to reframe the whole view.

By discipline

ChemistryBiologyPhysicsMathematicsComputer ScienceGeologyMineralogyEconomics

By thinking pattern

Bayesian updatingCause and effectCompoundingConservationConstraintsDefense in depthDiffusion & spreadEmergenceEnergy transformationEntropy & irreversibilityEquilibriumFeedback loopIncentivesInformationLevels & hierarchyModularityNetworksOptimizationOscillationProbabilityRecursion & self-similarityScaleSignal vs noiseSource–pathway–receptorStocks and flowsSymmetry & invarianceThresholds & tipping pointsTrade-offsTriangulationVariation & selectionWaves

By journey

From a Leaf to the ClimateWhy Music Moves UsHow Machines LearnReasoning about a Leaf and the Climate

Concept collections

Concept collections are curated lenses onto the fabric — themed sets of ideas that recur across disciplines. They are not journeys; they are a way to read the graph.

About this view

What this is

Start from one concept and expand outward. The view never shows everything at once — click a node to refocus, filter by relationship type, or switch to an accessible list.

One fabric

3750 concepts and 5051 typed relations form one connected component — no isolated silo.

How to read it

Focus a concept, or apply a lens (discipline, mental model, journey) to see only the threads that matter.