7±2 Questions And Answers About Metaphors For GIS User Interfaces
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Metaphors For GIS User Interfaces
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Metaphors For GIS User Interfaces
2. Do Metaphors Preclude Magic?
The answer to this frequent question is a straight "no". Magic in a user interface is
generally understood to be a liberation from the constraints of the physical world,
taking advantage of the flexibility inherent in software. For example, physical office
folder...
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7±2 Questions And Answers About Metaphors
For GIS User Interfaces
Article · February 1970
DOI: 10.1007/978-94-011-0103-5_9 · Source: CiteSeer
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1 author:
Werner Kuhn
University of California, Santa Barbara
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, 7±2 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT
METAPHORS FOR GIS USER INTERFACESL
WERNER KUHN
Department of Geoinformation
Technical University Vienna
A-1040 Vienna (Austria)
kuhn@geoinfo.tuwien.ac.at
ABSTRACT. Metaphors have found their way into the theory and practice of user
interface design, but there remain many specific questions about the extent and
methodology of their use. This paper discusses some of these questions in the context
of user interfaces for Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It is structured as a list
of 7±2 questions and answers, where the "+" applies to questions and the "-" to
answers, reflecting the fact that there are many questions without or with only tentative
answers yet. The questions address the issues of metaphor definition, metaphor vs.
magic, generating metaphor candidates, metaphor selection, design methodology,
metaphor combination, cross-cultural use, extent of use, and overall justification for
metaphors. The question and answer pairs are illustrated by examples from the domain
of GIS.
1. What Are User Interface Metaphors?
A metaphor allows us to understand one thing in terms of another. For example, the
metaphor LIFE IS A JOURNEY lets us think of ourselves as travelers setting out at
birth and following a path, surmounting obstacles, seeking travel companions,
choosing destinations at crossroads, until we arrive at our final destination, death. This
metaphor is deeply ingrained in our thinking and talking about life. It is not the only
way to conceive of life, however. In some situations, we might understand life in terms
of a game, a burden, or a possession. Each of these different metaphors highlights
some aspects of life and downplays others [18].
Understanding one thing in terms of another does not imply that the two things are
i Kuhn, W. 1995. "7+/-2 Questions and Answers about Metaphors for GIS User
Interfaces". In Cognitive Aspects of Human-Computer Interaction for Geographic
Information Systems. (Nyerges, T.L., et al., eds.), Series D: Behavioural and
Social Sciences, Vol. 83, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, Kluwer Academic
Publishers, pp: 113-122.
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