It was built on a single idea: search or create The only way to create a new note in Notional velocity is through the search bar. Typing would live-searched through your notes. Hitting enter would create a new note, with contents of the search query as the title for the note.
This closes a feedback loop. Every time you enter a new idea, you are recursing over old ideas. Often you find yourself editing or refactoring an old note, instead of creating a new note.
Over time these micro interactions add up, generating knowledge from the bottom-up.