Animate a logo in a Next.js App Router application:
- Home page: show full logo (expanded)
- Home → Internal page: wait 600ms, then contract to icon
- Internal → Home: expand back to full logo
- Internal → Internal: stay as icon
Seems simple. It wasn't.
+-------------------------------------------------+
| HERMENEUTIC DEBUGGING |
| |
| Attempt ──► Fail ──► Observe ──► Revise |
| │ │ |
| └───────────────────────────────┘ |
| |
| Each failure reveals a hidden assumption. |
| |
| Understanding emerges through iteration. |
+-------------------------------------------------+
Hermeneutic Debugging
Try this: 8 iterations of the same bug
A simple logo animation took 8 attempts to get right. Each failed fix revealed an assumption we didn't know we had. Walk through the same process—predict what will happen, then see what actually happens.
The Problem
1 / 8
Iteration 1
The Naive Implementation
Use state and effects. When not on home, delay 600ms before contracting.
React Component
const [showFullLogo, setShowFullLogo] = useState(isHome);
useEffect(() => {
if (isHome) {
setShowFullLogo(true);
} else {
setTimeout(() => setShowFullLogo(false), 600);
}
}, [isHome]);What will happen?
Select a prediction and run to continue
What You Just Experienced
Each failed fix revealed an assumption you didn't know you had. That's the pattern: attempt, observe what actually happens, revise your understanding.
"One observation is worth more than ten guesses."
Try this in your next bug: Before the second fix attempt, write down what assumption the first failure revealed.