What Semiotics can and cannot do for HCI

Semiotics is “the mathematics of the humanities” in the sense that it provides an abstract language covering a diversity of special sign-usages (language, pictures, movies, theatre, etc.). In this capacity, semiotics is helpful for bringing insights from older media to the task of interface design, and for defining the special characteristics of the computer medium. However, semiotics is not limited to interface design but may also contribute to the proper design of program texts and yield predictions about the interaction between computer systems and their context of use.