We inquire into how visual signage may make aspects of ubiquitous computing technologies visible and how digital tools and platforms impact that visual design and semiosis. We explore how visual interfaces have been designed and mediated within a design-research project that looked at technologies for mediating between digital media and the physical environment. Referring to visual and media theory, and to social semiotics, we problematize the role of interfaces and interaction with respect to advertising, services, and signage in urban settings. We link our interpretation to critical reflection on designed symbols that express potentials and implications of an emerging technology. This is elaborated as pointing towards a kind of research-by-design practice that we call “discursive design.”
