LiiaLabs

A proposed standard for cognitive doors.

An initial essay on interfaces that bring questions, context and knowledge together.

Tony Alves

An interface is also a way of asking

Difficulty accessing knowledge does not always mean information is missing. Sometimes what is missing is a door: an entry point that makes sense to someone trying to understand. This text is an initial exploration of that idea.

Between question and context

Here, a cognitive door means a way of connecting a person with a body of knowledge through their question. It is a working metaphor under development, not an established scientific definition.

  1. Question
  2. Context
  3. Exploration
  4. Understanding

Designing the passage

A good passage makes context visible, helps formulate questions and reveals the limits of an answer. An interface can guide exploration without replacing the user’s interpretation.