Metaphors in Web Design and NavigationMETAPHORS: THE ORDERWHAT IS METAPHOR?www.cnet.comwww.creative.gettyimages.comwww.halfbakery.comHISTORYCooper & Reimann: About Face 2.0Cooper & Reimann ContinuedCooper & Reimann continuedSlide 11Rosenfeld & Morville: IA for World Wide WebVanderwal: Metaphor of AttractionMaglio & Matlock: Metaphors we Surf the Web byNielsen: Designing Web UsabilitySlide 16BENEFITS & BEST PRACTICESDANGERS & DOWNFALLSDANGERS & DOWNFALLS continuedSlide 20BOTTOM LINEREFERENCESMetaphors in Web Design and NavigationPresented by:Jade AndersonINF385EOctober 5, 2006METAPHORS: THE ORDERWhat is Metaphor?History & ContextDiscussion by major playersBenefitsDangersBottom LineWHAT IS METAPHOR?Relates new information to the familiarTool for communicating complex ideas and bridging complex conceptsTool for generating enthusiasmwww.cnet.comwww.creative.gettyimages.comwww.halfbakery.comHISTORYLackoff & Johnson 1980s•Metaphor integral to thoughts and actions•Not just a literary device•Metaphor is ubiquitous•E.g. theories as buildings•E.g. the mind as containerCooper & Reimann: About Face 2.0Three dominant design methods for visual interface, based on:1. Understanding2. Intuiting3. LearningCooper & Reimann ContinuedUnderstanding•Implementation-Centric Model•Must learn how program works in order to be successful•By engineers for engineers•Users would rather be successful than knowledgeableCooper & Reimann continuedIntuiting•Metaphoric Model•No need to understand mechanics of system•Definition of Intuition: “knowing something without rational use of thought.”Cooper & Reimann continuedLearning•Idiomatic Model•Definition of Idiom: “expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meaning of its parts”•E.g. Kick the bucket, caught red handed•E.g. Drop down menu, close box, resize function•All idioms must be learned; good ones need only be learned onceRosenfeld & Morville: IA for World Wide WebOrganizational•Familiarity with physical organization leads to understanding of virtual organization scheme•E.g. Auto dealershipFunctional•Familiarity with tasks in traditional environment leads to understanding of virtual tasks•E.g. LibraryVisual•Familiarity with images, icons, and colors of traditional object leads to connection with virtual object•E.g. YellowpagesVanderwal: Metaphor of AttractionMetaphor of Attraction•1. User searches for information•2. Results attracted or repelled•3. User attracted to meta information•4. Process continues until information found or attraction lostMaglio & Matlock: Metaphors we Surf the Web bySpatial metaphor of web•People moving toward information rather than information coming to them•Relates to how we obtain info in the real world: walk towards it, reach for it, grasp it•If people naturally grasp web as physical space, tools for navigation can be improved to exploit this connectionNielsen: Designing Web UsabilityGeographic Metaphors almost always badShopping carts are interface standard•Not shopping sleds•Even standard metaphors are not without problemsBENEFITS & BEST PRACTICESCan make the site memorableRelate new information to the familiarBetter for sites not expecting repeat visitorsDANGERS & DOWNFALLSLimiting•Sacrifice later growth for a little initial quick recognition•Suck for intermediates•Tie interfaces unnecessarily to physical world•Hold back functionality with relationships to obsolete technologyDANGERS & DOWNFALLS continuedDon’t scale well•Can’t grow with processRely on associations•Cultural•Human mind is idiosyncraticDANGERS & DOWNFALLS continuedOversimplifiedTiresomeGraphic nature can slow down siteOnly a shallow representationNo Metaphors for processesBOTTOM LINEPopularity of metaphors has wanedFew work wellMake empowering, not limitingUsability testingREFERENCESCooper, A. (2003). About Face 2.0: The Essentials of User Interface Design (2nd Edition).: Wiley Publishing, Inc.Fleming, J. (1998). Web Navigation: Designing the User Experience. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Associates, Inc. Kuhn, W. (1993). Metaphors Create Theories for Users. Retrieved September 30, 2006 from http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/332805.htmlMaglio, P. P., & Matlock, T. (1998). Metaphors we surf the Web by. Paper presented at Workshop on Personalized and Social Navigation in Information Space, Stockholm, Sweden.Nielsen, J. (2000) Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity. Berkeley, CA: New Riders Publishing branch of Peachpit Press.Norvig, P. (2004) Review of Metaphors we live by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. Retrieved September 30, 2006 from http://www.norvig.com/mwlb.htmlPowell, T. (2002). Web Design: The Complete Reference. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.Rosenfeld, L., & Morville, P. (2002). Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (2nd Edition). Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media, Inc. Vander Wal, T. (2001, March). The Model of Attraction. Retrieved September 30, 2006, from
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