Horizony

Horizony is a term used in cognitive science and design studies to denote a conceptual interface between the visible horizon and human cognition. It describes how people mentally extend sightlines into possible futures and how those imagined futures shape present decisions and actions.

Etymology and usage: The word combines horizon with the -y suffix to form a noun. It emerged in early 21st-century discussions of perception, planning, and speculative design, and does not have a single canonical definition.

Concept: Horizony treats the horizon as multi-layered: the physical horizon, the perceptual horizon (what an observer can or cannot see), and the social-historical horizon (the range of plausible futures and pasts). It emphasizes the dynamic interaction among perception, prediction, and action, and the way anticipation reconfigures attention and constraint.

Applications: In urban planning and policy, horizony-guided methods support scenario planning and participatory design, helping communities connect near-term choices with distant outcomes. In interface design, the concept can guide progressive disclosure and contextual cues aligned with a user’s perceptual horizon. In art and fiction, horizony appears as a trope for inviting audiences to imagine futures that lie just beyond immediate perception.

Criticism and status: The term remains informal and contested. Some scholars warn that horizony is vague and risks conflating several distinct ideas (perception, time, and planning). Proponents argue it provides a flexible heuristic for integrating long-term thinking into everyday practice.

See also: horizon, horizon effect, scenario planning, futures studies.