Semiotic Engineering Examples
Remember Epistemology
It is a Study of:
“what is to be known”
“how knowledge originates”
“how knowledge expands”
“how knowledge collapses”
2
Jakobson
 Communicative functions:
Channels,
messages,
senders,
receivers, and
codes.
 A sender transmits a message to a receiver
through a channel. The message is expressed
in a code and refers to a context.
Playing a CD
1. user’s communication user inserts the
CD in the drive.
2. System’s communication CD Player is
launched and displays…
3. User’s communication user
looks/opens the dialog and selects play
4. System’s communication 
Jakobson’s model of the Communication
Space
Example
Methodological Considerations
Theories
Specific Knowledge
from Theory
Complement and
supplement
Psychological
Human cognition
anthropological
Human emotions
sociological
Human activity
Ergonomic
Social structures
Computational
Human relations in
groups and communities
Semiotic
engineerin
g
Physical and
environmental
constraints for working
with computers
Kinds of symbolprocessing machines
that can be built
Methodological Considerations
Theories
Specific Knowledge
from Theory
Complement and
supplement
Psychological
Human cognition
anthropological
Human emotions
sociological
Human activity
Ergonomic
Social structures
Computational
Human relations in
groups and communities
Semiotic
engineerin
g
Physical and
environmental
constraints for working
with computers
Kinds of symbolprocessing machines
that can be built
Semiotic engineering should
1. not be used as a predictive theory.
2. explain observable HCI phenomenon.
3. provide the necessary means to
formulate HCI design problems and
questions to elaborate solution
solutions and answers.
Repertories of problems and solutions constitute
the culture of design and provide signifying
orders and signification
Audience
Audience: implies one-way, controlled communication
In western culture of the last 50 years, what kinds of things have
had audiences?
Concerts, plays, films...
In these traditional media:
A member of the "audience" is typically a relatively passive
recipient of something that's delivered at them.
Different parts of the content are usually encountered in a
defined sequence that is controlled by the deliverer, not the
audience member
Audience members typically have no chance to modify what's
gets delivered at them (other than to skip or sleep through bits of
it)
Hence, everyone encounters more-or-less the same thing
Possible Question Zero:
Give an example of this:
But the web of today is very different from traditional media
In 2008, someone using the web can:
Choose what to view and what to ignore, and view chunks of content in whatever order suits
them (e.g. think hyperlinks and banner blindness)
See content outside its original context (e.g. RSS feeds let people see content outside of the
originating sites)
Modify what they encounter on your site, and what other people will subsequently
encounter, in all kinds of ways, including (but not limited to):
Changing the format (e.g., by using a different stylesheet or no stylesheet at all)
Blocking certain kinds of content (e.g. Javascript, or pop-ups, or images)
Making the content easier for themselves and others to find (e.g. by tagging it, posting it to social
networking sites)
Creating peripheral content that is encountered by other users (e.g. comments, ratings, reviews)
Changing the content itself -- this is the essence of wikis
Easily see (and affect) what is being said about you / your site / your products elsewhere
2. Give an example of a web site that you look at and find the above (be specific with the
website)
The Semiotics in
Media Language
Review for Exam One
Roland Barthes: The language of signs
He argued that verbal language is just one
way of communicating, others include:
Hairstyle
Clothing
Body language
Make up
Models for understanding language
Language is CONSTRUCTED by people
to produce meanings within their culture
It is only when we name objects and
events that they are given meaning and
definition
The social contract of language means
that we agree to use the same language
as everyone else so they understand us.
We can however play with the language of
our society through signs, codes and
patterns as well as words.
Three parts to every sign…
The Signifier: The physical form of the
sign. The written word on the paper, a
traffic light, a smile.
The Signified: This is the concept or idea
that the signifier produces. A red light
signifies stop. The written word ROSE
connects to the idea of a rose. A smile
could signify happiness.
The Referent: The real thing, not the
signal or the idea but the real, individual
thing. A real individual rose, the real
feeling of happiness.
The Semiotic Triangle
Signifier
Text
Signified
GAP
Referent
Semiotics emphasises that our perception
of reality is shaped by the words and signs
that we use, and how we interpret the
words and signs of others.
Signifier
A red rose
An empty
chair
A shaved
head
A leather
jacket
Signified
Referent
Task
Watch the opening sequence from
Mission: Impossible without sound. What
is happening? Pick three signifiers that
signify this.
Media Language
Semiotics – 2
Denotation  Connotation
Terms…
 Denote (denotation)
deconstruction of any media text begins with a detailed
description of what is empirically present (visually and
audibly) or what is DENOTED on the page / screen.
 Connote (connotation)
after the initial description, you can move on to assessing
what is CONNOTED by the signs.
 Signifiers are denoted. What is signified is
connoted.
 The connotations of the signs create the
meaning. ie red connotes (or signifies) passion,
desire, blood, danger etc. The terms connote and
signify are almost interchangeable.
What do you think these elements
would connote in a film?
 1. A dark room
 2. High pitched screeching music
 3. Shadows
 4. Rain
 5. Sunshine
 6. Classical pastoral music
 7. A frown
 8. A smile as an aside to the audience
 9. Red Light in a room
 10. A man carrying a rose
The signs or signifiers in films
Films use the human capability for
interpreting signs.
The black and red background to most
Horror movie titles has connotations of
fear and blood.
The creaky doorway in a thriller creates
tension.
Romantic music puts the audience in a
romantic mood and allows them to realise
something romantic is about to happen.
To approach signifiers you have to realise
there are Objective ones (put there
intentionally to give clues about how to
feel or react to the film) and
Subjective ones (not intentionally put
there but something that reminds an
individual of something in their life or
memories from the past).
When watching a film an audience usually
picks up on the same objective signifiers
but can have a whole host of connotations
attached to differing subjective signifiers.
The ability to pick up on the signifiers in a
film depends on an audience's
Experience
Emotional capacity
Intellect.
The less emotionally experienced you are,
the less likely you are to pick up on subtle
emotional signifiers.
The less intelligent you are, the less likely
you are to analyse the film in depth, and
so on.
The understanding of a film is therefore
relative to the individual watching the film.
This is why sometimes you can watch a
film and get a certain amount of
satisfaction from it, then watch it again a
few years later and get a host of new
experiences and connotations from the
same film.
Signifiers can be created through Mis-enscene, Lighting, Music, and Dialogue.
Task:
Watch the opening sequence of
Independence Day
List ten objective signifiers (ones put there
by the director to focus the audience) and
five subjective signifiers (elements in the
sequence which had meanings personal to
you).
Task
 Watch the opening to Independence Day
again.
Describe how three of the signifiers in the
sequence create meaning through their
connotations.
The Treachery of Images – Renee Magritte – 1928-29.
25 points. Bring this question & answer to Exam 1
and you can cross out any Exam 1 questions totaling
25 points. Please mark the crossed out questions
with a “Q0”.
1. Explain how signs and signification take part in
communication for a deaf person. Include the deaf
person’s encoding and decoding. (Should be about half a
page in handwritten.)
2. Explain the need for developing a new and unique way to
pay for items online.
What would you suggest?
How would you research?
How would you design?
3. Explain Jakobson’s model of communication with opening
your car door with a clicker.