SIMS 213: User Interface Design & Development Marti Hearst Tues, Jan 20, 2004.
SIMS 213: User Interface Design & Development Marti Hearst Tues, Jan 27, 2004.
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Transcript of SIMS 213: User Interface Design & Development Marti Hearst Tues, Jan 27, 2004.
SIMS 213: User Interface Design & Development
Marti HearstTues, Jan 27, 2004
Metaphor in User Interfaces
Metaphor and AnalogyMetaphor– L. metaphora, fr. to carry over, transfer; meta: beyond, over– The transference of the relation between one set of objects to another set for
the purpose of brief explanation (Webster’s revised)Analogy– A resemblance of relations; an agreement or likeness between things in
some circumstances or effects, when the things are otherwise entirely different. (Webster’s revised)
– 1. Similarity in some respect between things that are otherwise dissimilar: "the operation of a computer presents an interesting analogy to the working of the brain“ (WordNet)
– 2: (logic) inference that if things agree in some respects they probably agree in others (WordNet)
Slide adapted from James Landay
Metaphor
Lakoff & Johnson– “...the way we think, what we experience, and what we do
every day is very much a matter of metaphor.'' – in our language & thinking - “argument is war”
• …he attacked every weak point ... criticisms right on target ... if you use that strategy
We can use metaphor to highlight certain features & suppress others– There is some systematicity to the transference
What are some example interface metaphors?
Direct Manipulation uses a Metaphor
Metaphor– Computer objects as visible, moveable objects
Consequences– Items represented as icons– Items can be “picked up” and “moved” on a surface– Items can be “thrown out”– Items can be “copied”
• Do we really want to have to drag them to a photocopier?
How much is too much?
The Desktop MetaphorStarted at Xerox PARC – Xerox Star (see video)– Bitmapped screens made it possible
Not meant to be a real desktop– Idea is to organize information in a way to allow people to use it in the way they
user information on their desktops– Allow windows to overlap – make the screen act as if there were objects on it
Apple took it farther– Waste basket, etc
Microsoft took it to extremes– Microsoft Bob – a recognized failure
Macintosh Desktop
Caldera’s Desktop
Microsoft Bob’s Desktop Metaphor
Microsoft Bob’s Livingroom –
Almost not a metaphor anymore!
Beyond the Desktop
Robertson, George et al. "The Task Gallery: A 3D Window Manager." In Proceedings of CHI 2000
Beyond the Desktop
Jun Rekimoto, Multiple-Computer User Interfaces: "Beyond the Desktop" Direct Manipulation Environments, ACM CHI2000 Video Proceedings, 2000.
Identify the mis-matched metaphors(from the Interface Hall of Shame)
The classic (from the mac desktop)– To eject a disk you drag it to the trashcan
Identify the mis-matched metaphors(from the Interface Hall of Shame)
VCR buttons to control a printer??
Identify the mis-matched metaphors(from the Interface Hall of Shame)
Using tabs to make arbitrary groups
Discussion
Kent Sullivan, The Windows 95 User Interface: A Case Study in Usability Engineering, CHI 1996.A case study of the iterative design process.
Sullivan Case Study
– 12 people on the Windows 95 team!!– Waterfall design method (compartmentalized; UI done at the
end during quality assurance stage) would produce an unusable product.
– Method:• Find most common tasks, and test on those• Compare to a baseline (Windows 3.1)• Rapid prototyping tools• Importance of usability testing!!
– Stepping back• Found big problems• Held a retreat to radically re-think things
Sullivan Case Study
– Decided to:• Focus on scaffolding (beginner -> intermediate-expert)• Give up on too much backwards-compatibility with 3.1• Dump the huge design spec (!) Encouraged social interaction.• Continually informed outsiders as well as team members about the
design– Fine tuning with usablity tests
• Holistic interface test in the lab– Many participants!
• Longitudinal field study– About Windows 3.1
• … a good demonstration of what happens when usability is not taken into account