Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

What do you visualize while programming?

dillonshook.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 176 posts

Re: What do you visualize while programming?

#31

Post by hackinthebochs »

corysama wrote: post #21

Pretty sure I have aphantasia. So, I don't visualize anything. But, I do often imagine data structures and algorithms as ambiguous "things" at places and in motion. Can't see them. But, I can move them around and remember where they are. Like, imagining Bubble Sort as a shell game with your eyes closed.

I'm in the same boat. No visual imagery but I do "see" abstract relationships and how they interact. I'm reminded of a case where a man had head trauma-induced blindness. He couldn't see colors, shapes, etc. But it turned out he could still see motion. He described it as black moving on top of black. It's sort of like that, somehow I experience the contours of the abstract relationships, but they feel very insubstantial.

Re: What do you visualize while programming?

#32

Post by RaftPeople »

I see semi-amorphous/semi-geometrical/semi-colored stuff that represent different aspects and components of system.

I think it's similar to people I've talked to about what they see when they think of the year+months+seasons, many friends described similar-ish types of representations that seemed visual (e.g. a circular view of months, or a long ribbon, etc.)

Re: What do you visualize while programming?

#33

Post by jampekka »

corysama wrote: post #21

Pretty sure I have aphantasia. So, I don't visualize anything. But, I do often imagine data structures and algorithms as ambiguous "things" at places and in motion. Can't see them. But, I can move them around and remember where they are. Like, imagining Bubble Sort as a shell game with your eyes closed.

I'd guess few people have much image-like things in their head for data structures or control flows or such. Such can be conjured if one tries to explain something visually by e.g. drawing. But 2D/3D structure is very limited for thinking about abstract stuff like programming.

I don't really have a recollection of or introspective access to what I experience when I focus on something like programming. And I guess many who claim they do are confabulating.

Re: What do you visualize while programming?

#36

Post by jampekka »

hackinthebochs wrote: post #31
corysama wrote: post #21

Pretty sure I have aphantasia. So, I don't visualize anything. But, I do often imagine data structures and algorithms as ambiguous "things" at places and in motion. Can't see them. But, I can move them around and remember where they are. Like, imagining Bubble Sort as a shell game with your eyes closed.

I'm in the same boat. No visual imagery but I do "see" abstract relationships and how they interact. I'm reminded of a case where a man had head trauma-induced blindness. He couldn't see colors, shapes, etc. But it turned out he could still see motion. He described it as black moving on top of black. It's sort of like that, somehow I experience the contours of the abstract relationships, but they feel very insubstant…

You can experience this easily yourself: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_aftereffect

Motion is separated from shapes and structure and objects changing place very early in visual processing, and it's kind of a sense of its own.

Re: What do you visualize while programming?

#38

Post by andoando »

jampekka wrote: post #33
corysama wrote: post #21

Pretty sure I have aphantasia. So, I don't visualize anything. But, I do often imagine data structures and algorithms as ambiguous "things" at places and in motion. Can't see them. But, I can move them around and remember where they are. Like, imagining Bubble Sort as a shell game with your eyes closed.

I'd guess few people have much image-like things in their head for data structures or control flows or such. Such can be conjured if one tries to explain something visually by e.g. drawing. But 2D/3D structure is very limited for thinking about abstract stuff like programming. I don't really have a recollection of or introspective access to what I experience when I focus on something like programming. And I guess man…

Id argue temporal/spacial reasoning encompasses ALL the reasoning we can do. After all, space time is the fabric of reality and encompasses all possible events
Post reply on HN