Metaphors in UIs

Written July 31. 1999, at 03:00 GMT.

Metaphors we compute by: bringing magic into interface design (Feelings Stuck in a GUI web: metaphors, image-schemata, and designing the human computer interface) by Tim Rohrer is a good read. Offers a nicely philosophical perspective on UI design.

I find the idea of feeling-based vs. conversation-based UIs really interesting. The sentence "The magic of the Macintosh trash can "goes too far" because it violates users gut feelings." struck me as being so true.

<RANT>Feelings are something that is forgotten all to often. I for one tend to feel "problems" in (Web-based) UIs, both as a user and as a designer, that I then find hard to explain or rationalize. I still *know* there is a problem. </RANT>

One good quote: "I believe we work best when we can forget about the computer's (or the designer's) point of view and concentrate on expressing ourselves and getting our work done."

Also on (mis-)use of metaphors in the Mac-oid Desktop GUIs, The Anti-Mac Interface. Good.

Lots of links: Center for the Cognitive Science of Metaphor Online.

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