Bret Victor - Stop Drawing Dead Fish

stupidbob306
3 HN recommenders · recommended in 3 months, 2017–2025
YouTube
53K views · 13 years ago · talk · intermediate · evergreen

Bret Victor's talk Stop Drawing Dead Fish argues that digital tools make people draw static, lifeless things. He shows alternatives in which the artist works with live, dynamic pictures directly.

HN people say it has stuck with them for a decade, and point to it whenever a thread asks for live, tinkerable interfaces.

“"Stop drawing dead fish" by Bret has stuck with me for a decade”
Tools for thought & programming UXInteraction designAnimation principles
#bretvictor#creativetools#animation#directmanipulation#liveinterfaces

7 comments from Hacker News

i
@iambateman2025 · in “What is Realtalk’s relationship to AI? (2024)”
"Stop drawing dead fish" by Bret has stuck with me for a decade – ▶ this video
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z
@zX41ZdbW2025 · in “Stop Drawing Dead Fish (2013) [video]”
Submitted the video to Hacker News.
RecommendsView on HN
g
@gosub2017 · in “Pollen: the book is a program”
You should watch "stop drawing dead fish" by Bret Victor ▶ this video
RecommendsView on HN
v
@vishnugupta2022 · in “Stop Writing Dead Programs”
While you are here Stop Drawing Dead Fish by Bret Victor ▶ this video
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j
@jussamouse2022 · in “Stop Writing Dead Programs [video]”
The name of the talk is a reference to "Stop Drawing Dead Fish" by Bret Victor ▶ this video
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k
@kwatsonafter2022 · in “Visualizing quantum mechanics in an interactive simulation”
This is really impressive-- In a talk some time back Bret Victor talks about interfaces that look and feel like this; where you can see the whole system, "running" and tinker with parts without, "re-compiling" or, "re-writing" programs. I always love finding things like this on HN. ▶ this video
CitesView on HN
h
@hchasestevens2017 · in “Artificial Intelligence Uses Videogame Footage to Recreate Game Engine”
Imagine this paired with a system like the one Bret Victor demos in "Inventing on Principle" [0] or in "Stop Drawing Dead Fish" [1], in which the user hand-animates what they want the game movement/overall gameplay to look like, adjusting as necessary. The system described in this paper could get you a decent way from that hand-animated mockup to a working game that looks and feels first and foremost like you intended, rather than working from a playable-but-bad-feeling prototype game engine and having to endlessly adjust to get the game feel "right". [0]. link [1]. ▶ this video
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