This page shows four example deliberations using a u4u semscreen.
The first, a currently deliberated u4u WordPress plugin, has the most activity, and is hosted here on this site. The second tests the plugin on a music collaborative website. The third, a p2p browser app, is backburned pending the completion of this interface. The fourth, a browser app to annotate with ushin shapes, is a promising example of u4u under consideration.
The above shows what is left of a previously working p2p browser app. Currently it doesn’t save work locally nor publish input nor provide a url.
Mockups
Mockups are a combo of current and past example mockups and current development screens. They are listed here by or priority or what makes sense to consider unique semscreen features.
Most issues are handled on the issue tracker as they do not merit deliberation.
Expect a limited feature version to be softly launched to a testing community in October 2026.
Meanwhile we are using this site for draft images until the interface saves images in an upcoming build.
Current Feedback:
The WP plugin is galloping along. The code is at https://todo.sr.ht/~pmaas and once stable everyone will be welcome to submit a ticket – and feel free to help us code!
Aug 15 2026
Considering three sizes for each semscreen region
Currently there are two semscreen sizes, balanced and expanded.
-> Test full region size, at least for the delib, with prior semscreen reduced outward to become mini-shape icons in a minimal outer rim.
Balanced click Big click Full
Balanced
The display shows input in any region of equal size.
In draft: the region outline would be dotted, not solid as shown. User clicks region hamburger dots to open the toolbar with cursor on last used button (?) and ability to scroll toolbar with arrow keys. User clicks blank area in region to open with cursor by minishape ready to type.
Big
There is a bit bigger than we’d tested before. Test this intermediate size just big enough to show many of its own points in the enlarged region but also room in the other regions to display points with shapes and text where there is input. Larger screens could show main points, mobile could indicate input with minishape(s). In this example the other regions are empty.
Full
The full screen has yet to be texted In this interface.
-> try clickable minishapes in the outer rim on desktop
August 6, 2026
Semscreen hydraulics – delib region
The following slides consider three sizes for the deliberation area.
For current deliberations – skip past Slide 4 to Slide 4-new,
The following Slide 4 is a peek at a potential future feature. The mockup introduces both the author’s semscreen pushed to the rim, and also a host’s rim. Host rim minishapes do not go to the author’s input, but to the host’s input about the shapes. That will be reviewed later as we develop curator options. The view of a host’s icons is useful for new users to the interface and/or a new host.
Note that the rim part of the following mockup was copied from u4few, an example for note taking in groups, where we were calling people/groups’ IDs “hats”.
Note that the yellow rim shows the part of the screen for the host. A WP plugin curator at imbue.im would show its icons for user to see how imbue uses them. The curator will create the sets of possible topics, for example , topics as songs and subpoints about them. There are several display option suggested here that may come up in the future.
oops – the delib would be showing more points given all that space … apologies for lazy cut and pasting. The emphasis was focused on the rims, forgetting about the reason to make the delib area full size – to show more of the tree. The mockups are feasible, because bigger points would show like this when user zooms in.
How to display whole semscreens in context of the deliberation
The rough mockup below shows an example published semscreen aligned with its lineage – how it descends from the root in the deliberation. In this example the published input is a welcome screen, showing its main point directly under it’s connect point (with byline) in context of the deliberation. (Ignore the content of the screen, alignments and many small residuals from the cut and paste process)
The blue dots in outer rim are placeholders for dotted draft ushin shapes:
August 13, 2026
How to display the connect button
Currently the connect button appears on a selected point with a prompt.
The team is deliberating whether the connect button would be more quicker, easier and more intuitive for users if placed in line between the selected point and proposed new input.
The above mockup would be appropriate for a curator, who can shuffle whole semscreens to create delibs that curators publish on one’s own hosting,
A userdraft would display dotted borders in the semscreen, in view of its potential context, (were user to click the connect button here, (which opens packaging). (image pending)
A userpublished point appears with solid borders. What’s not showing in the mockup below is that when the delib screen is open to a published point the user’s draft should appear on the rim in the user’s last color, and its border would be dotted. Here it’s black – like the rest of the screen. The blue dots are placeholders for ushin shape buttons, that would show greyed out if there were no input.
The purpose of showing rim bullet shapes in full view of deliberation is both to encourage thoughtful participation while also giving the user plenty of room to explore and interact with what’s been published already on the subject.
To deliberate
How to display author domains.
Here the author is orange and the host is grey.
The left header, black here, is for app info and buttons.
The middle banner is the user name and semscreen color.
The right banner is the host’s profile, tools, filters, and published points.
Comparison How to display and which features for comparison, testing view of two outline-style delibs side by side for user to copy (DND) points between them, and for curator to populate new delibs.
Metadata How
Curation
See delib.
[host], author ID and color/pattern, delib subject, lineage and connect points are recalled, along with attachments, media, connections and connect labels..
Packaging
Deliberate allternatives to published prompt on the bottom of the display.
Profile
Remove the color button by author to test clicking on banner itself for users and authors to access profile info and options, respectively.
Design
u4u.io style presentation of shapes in central region.
Prior issues
Some of these are resolved or proposed solutions have changed, so the following is just to give a sense of our progress, and use of the semscreen.
July 17, 2026
BUG: The central region doesn’t allow easy editing nor flow from headline to byline.
I’d like the cursor to skip to the byline after 20 characters or spaces typing in the header, so user can continue writing, with full editing like other region points.
BUG – when moving points in a list there should be a move icon, like in u4u.io that lets user reorder list with the way to paste between 2 lines
BUG: Context in proximity IMPORTANT
-> Delib screen to respond to central point such that the connect point is directly above, not random
BUG: publish still at the bottom – to in header b/t banner and panel handle. Like u4u.io –
-> delete the button about writing to publish and instead have a toolip on hover the delib region that says, “main point” “drag a point here”:
2 BUGS:
publish button not in header, like u4u.io, with other tools, within the workspace and flow ->move the publish button to the upper right header between banner and button for R panel. Give prominence and real estate to the semscreen
there’s never a blank point, especially on the top of the list – and then only when its the only point and the region is opened (not in balance)
When filtering in right panel for facts only facts appeared, as expected. Filtered for feelings and a feeling showed in the middle. Can the user set the parameters – or have another column appear for date or whatever made the feeling show up in that spot?
BUG: I am able to edit text within text boxes but not getting bullet shape or ability add input to other regions
BUG: Deletion from delib isn’t working
For the purposes of pruning their own delibs, let admins remove points
screen after taking point from middle – to be able to edit it
then deleted it:
and it shows in list:
even on refresh:
and the point remains
BUG and UPDATES – Closed Points
Closed points (on delib and panels) to have the same appearance – see prior slide show
-> in panel list view move the author from below the line to the upper right rim of the semscreen, as though embedded in the colorful semscreen outline, widened to form the semscreen header of that author’s color and their handle is text within the banner. When minimized the handle may be logo/avitar with handle surrounded by diagonal slashes /[handle]/
Points wherever they are, lists or delib tree…, have buttons: copy, delete, centralize
change centralize button to four arrows pointing in from corners and sides just part of the arrow shaft, no room for 8 arrowheads in a little icon
The all should have the publish date on the upper left – see prior mockup – that shows when opened,
FYI – the date shows up in connect point at packaging [next]
BUG
There is still a duplicate of the title and the word “DELIBERATING”
-> just remove everything but the deliberation itself – just the root and descendents in a line to the point in focus below the delib – please see prior slides.
This is a copy of mockup from below:
This is what the delib shows all the time – a straight shot from the top so user knows what’s being deliberated, no need to announce or title or explain what to do. See above, re region tooltip
2 BUGs
move this to center by copy paste to save tag
BUG
Paste works in byline but not headline
BUG
There is still a view with double roots and persistent word, DELIBERATING ? remove everything but the deliberation itself – remove click to view the tree, too
-> that’s a tooltip for the region that says, “explore”
BUG – delib gets cut off at top
If toolbar is transparent wondering why the delib gets cut off, maybe a buffer ..?
=> try a moveable toolbar that doesn’t cover any of the deliberation
? remove the whole screen icon, unless it does something besides what clicking the screen does
UPDATE – this will improve the navigation experience a lot
? make one row of buttons: not 2: redo then center then – and + next to each other then add a navigator button has arrows pointing out in 4 directions up-down and right-left and when people select it the button enlarges a bit within empty space and user can navigate more easily, also the keyboard arrow buttons do the same thing, move the center of the delib around.
BUGS
-> remove “copy point” button on the top of the list of subpoints of a selected delib point
-> remove the x to close the view of a selected point instead the user would simply click away to wherever they are going next in the plugin – a benefit of keeping options in view.
-> if “copy point” copies the semscreen then it would be the copy icon with tooltip explaining, copy semscreen
-> it looks like there is a way to enter tags, is that for the whole semscreen? for user to submit?
-> move the tag input feature to drafts in the package stage.
FUTURE: It will be useful to tag published points and semscreens, but that is more for personal organization at this point … to revisit later.
Bug – no shape bullet
When user clicks on a region the cursor expected to show up to the right of the little shape bullet
BUG
BUG
The deliberation point may wrap but the second line pushes the first line away so you can’t read it.
-> when user selects the center region the cursor shows adjacent to selected shape and when the user types after ~? 20 characters in the header the byline pops up and the user keeps typing to see the characters show in the byline
-> let the byline text show from the top beyond the first line until the last character – and maybe follow twitter space limits
BUG – it’s possible to publish the same exact point twice
BUG – indent icon in left panel – at this point we don’t have hierarchical or outline features for list of drafts – this would be a future feature, t.b.d.
-> remove this in the panel, it is good in a region that has indented points but otherwise would not show
BUG – sometimes clicking on a region in draft displays a bullet with cursor next to it – which is expected, sometimes just the region gets larger without a bullet or cursor, even when clicking a few times
-> fix so every time user clicks a region in draft it opens with bullet shape and cursor
BUG: – the ownership of the semscreen is not clear
The upper middle region is good with a transparent background, it represents the community context of the semscreen, which is the domain of the author and so the entire background – a short fat “U” shape, including the background of the main point – all of that to match the color and intensity of the author.
Here the regions in the periphery show a relatively less intense hue of the author. Is that because the plugin won’t let us customize the background of the board, not just the regions?
-> Make the background from the header down to the bottom of the semscreen as orange as what tester violet chose (who is color blind i guess) except for the upper middle region that stays black. The purpose is to unify the semscreen as belonging to that author
-> Mockup with background of semscreen in author color
-> regions stay with most readable contrast of font and background, b/w
-> make the author handle be within the upper border,
-> make the header as short as possible
-> put the banner of author as background color to author handle, not just a circle by the handle
-> make the host banner show up as intersection of the author who is hosted by ushin, who is the host of the other published data to be listed under it (not shown in this mockup)
/tester violet/ – see other mockups
This lets the header of the list come up into the same high level as the semscreen header – but the published header is
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++end of July 17 feedback———————
July 16, 2026
2 slides, Click a point
Thank you, Chris!!
——– end of Feedback for July 16 2026 —————-
July 8 -> remove white line
-> grey out shapes when there aren’t any in list of that shape
[] the board overlaps the word Edit
-> hide smaller of two shapes when region is not enlarged.
[] the facts region flickered from this state to open and back when facts was clicked
[] it didn’t flicker when the facts region was open (note message within example)
[] when moving thought to center it got chopped into two small pieces
[] and the second piece was from a prior main point
( ) I was expecting the first few words to show in the first piece and
( ) the rest of the point be like a byline, or second piece (scroll if long) and
( ) I think the outer rim may be in the next milestone
-> avoid repeats when publishing
If \ / ushin is a label of the region please center it and
-> move buttons to be linear, horizontal in upper right corner of region
[] this happened when scrolling inside a region, seems to be enlarging fonts
( ) expected the region would enlarge
[ ] the current version has “published” pop up and “publish” button on the bottom:
( ) I’d like the next milestone to include the author profile, action button and package mode, so we don’t need buttons under the semscreen for managing the semscreen – they should be on the right edge of the semscreen
( ) The banner looks slick now
-> next milestone try the user name within the banner shape, so its text within a border which makes a long single-wave flag of the user color – maybe white or grey till user selects a color. See earlier mockups.
( ) i think the groups may have their logo there, and user could upload an avatar or whatever in the future, for now just a color and
–> later we can add patterns and the customization and uploads of logo or avatar
-> make the banner a button opening right panel with the current author profile on top of list of other hats to select and opportunity to create a new hat is a + top right of current author hat
( ) I realize why its important to show semscreens when user clicks a point in a delib – you can’t split up a subpoint from its main point in the interface – the semscreen is sacrosanct.
( ) subpoints lose meaning when not attached to their main point
-> when user clicks point in delib the subpoints appear around that main point, even making the region enlarge to contain it
-> the separate subpoints showing in the delib can show copy option on hover or tap, or even dnd to an open draft or onto a blank semscreen to open a new draft
[ ] the rest of the delib disappeared when clicking the point
-> when user clicks a delib point have it show the entire main point and byline with tags, author, date
-> second click enlarges to show full point and some regions may not be readable (scroll if its a paragraph or more)
>3rd click opens region full screen (up to outer rim) (scroll if nec)
-> keep delib in view, at least siblings and parent, if not grandparent and indicate each generation with a dot if there’s no room to show the lineage beyond root and connect point (+ siblings, and if more show dots on either side)
( ) i like the root showing all the time
( ) I’m not seeing the difference b/t the two circle buttons for zooming
( ) i wonder if the dotted dupe was because i tried to publish twice
[ ] when the point was selected in the delib the display did not show its subpoints until scrolling
( ) too much space and no connect b/w main point and subpoints
-> show the subpoints surrounding the main point in place where you clicked it – like a semscreen within the enlarging context/merit region
NOT SHOWN
( ) not sure if this is necessary in a VIEWING bo if we aren’t going to have subpoints show up in this way in our next build, but
( ) want lines of text to have to the right of the … a “>” user clicks to show the text wrap and the screen enlarge , even with scroll if very long – so you get benefit of beginning of lines as scannable list with an easy way to make the full line readable
-> remove the shape labels in filter header on right panel, just the shapes themselves in a row – user can see what they mean, or we could have hover-overs if you think they are necessary
( ) the elegant region borders are lovely however the color is subtle when the semscreen is enlarged
-> next milestone: try making the entire background of the semscreen the user’s chosen color such that the regions remain either black or white for content, and the area outside and between the regions is the user’s color; the menu would stay dark, I like that, and it would show up the banner color.
The region outlines stay subtle when the screen size is reduced, too
[] when i finished editing the thoughts regions and clicked on feelings the feelings region enlarged and covered up the other content
() i expected the rest of the semscreen to be as readable as possible
() once the structure is set this would be good to deliberate – it seems there are 2 conflicting rules
regions to expand on click, putting cursor in text box
as much as possible keep semscreen content readable
-> consider indiv points besides the main point offering user headline and byline
Package to Publish
() let’s discuss this next milestone – the packaging
connect points, including roots to be selected on the delib
“publish anyway” would be clarified – as save, export, share …
() The connect button is a great idea – since clicking on the point would open it, not cause a connection.
() thinking we could deliberate how this might appear – in this verion the point is hinted at immediately under the connect point and then again in adjacent main point of draft, no need for the duplication
() once the list view of subpoints is changed to a semscreen with the main point larger we can see if the main points in both the connecting and draft semscreens will be approximated enough to show a relationship
() wonder if a labeled arrow from the main point of the connect semscreen (opened in context/merit region) to the main point of the draft (opened in adjacent region below), both flanked by draft subpoints
() we do not necessary want to juxtapose subpoints, just the main points (remember if user wants to connect to a subpoint they have to make a new semscreen, which will be linked to the main point where it originated.
() i’d like to see this implemented or mocked up in the next metric
and – including he banner and I hesitate to make them thicker because I want to maximize area for content.
END OF JULY 9 feedback for now – to continue later
Slide mockups for plugin development
New deck:
Semscreen Response to Panel Openings
New deck July 2, 2026:
Semscreen region resizing – e.g. upper mid
4 slides incl this one
Semscreen elongation bug
-> try limiting the right panel content after so many points and offer a scrolling handle
Screenshot u4u.io on desktop
See content of screenshot:
Remember – future features here just to show need for intact semscreen going forward – ignore the part about pasted images, a feature of a separate plugin. Note: whole semscreen view is needed in the modular interface.
End of slides about the plugin for now.
2. Deliberating a song’s speed – NEW FEATURES – SEMSCREEN INTERFACE
The following slides show a mockup of a deliberation about a song. Deliberations to be hosted by a collaborative docu-musical website, Imbue.im which is experimenting with upcoming online ushin deliberation tools.
The deliberation features will extend the interface modeled by the browser app u4u.io.
Starting an ushin deliberation
Mockup: Starting deliberation about a song
Using a semscreen to create, edit and submit for publication
Replying to a published semscreen on the same site
The iteration of u4u (4u.io) demonstrated a return of filtered lists of results. These were saved on user’s browser and made available to others through the p2p, holepunch. When holepunch protocols changed the team decided to consider a more stable protocol and meanwhile focus on developing new features as a portable interface. We will return to the public p2p browser app once the interface is working well as a WordPress plugin, see above.
u4u bug
The website, u4u.io, currently is having “backend” issues and now demonstrates only a semantic screen interface without saving semscreens.
u4u.io did not yet include the ability to make and view connections in a display useful for deliberation.
4. USHIN ANNOTATION
This example allows users to tag content on a text document. It was demonstrated with the emacs example and is planned for a demonstration to tag an online page. This will be simiilar to existing annotation systems but add the ushin shapes to be readable on semscreen apps as well as in the results list on the annotation display.
Bringing us back to the medical issues which inspired the ushin system, the team is considering deliberating a compound for human use.
DMSO was recently evaluated by a physician in his blog with copious citations.
The results to show on shape-tagged semscreens built around a root topic, DMSO. For ease this will start with ushering one readily-cited document, “Ushering DMSO”, using the u4u.io instance and other ushin tools as they develop. The topic was selected as a test topic because it is an emergent concern with a single source holding adequate citations to online deliberation tools. The team is also new to the topic, so will be adding no original content beyond ushering existing content from a recent. Once ready, the team will invite community participation to publish your own points and queries with open deliberation.
Annotate blog content with ushin tags
The image demonstrates simple annotation, using Libre Office Draw, without ushin shapes. Until there is ushin software to annotate with shapes our process to mock up the example will be to copy the text into u4u.io for tagging.
The following sreenshot shows a handful of typical blog testimonials found on the site, which supplement numerous kudos awarded this author and publisher of rigorously scientific analyses and heartful introspection:
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