Re: [IxDA Discuss] Language metaphor for UE disciplines
On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 2:44 PM, Dave Katten [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think this thread is starting to show some salient aspects about metaphor that warrant some discussion, namely what is a metaphor and when is one appropriate. I don't think the language metaphor for UE disciplines is too far fetched, because it is embodied -- uses the same grammar, we use for language. We experience designed (and natural) systems by communicating with them. The communication has structure, defined largely by our evolved brain -- the experience is embodied, to paraphrase Lakoff and Chomsky (they were writing about language, of course). Different disciplines in UE field put emphasis on distinct parts of the communication (objects, actions, attributes). This schema, in my mind, reflects specialization of user experience disciplines, which, in turn, reflect the specialization in our minds, rather well: Content Strategists are nouns, IAs is the grammar, IxD is the verbs, Visual is the adjectives, Experience Architects are the poets Thanks, Will, for expanding the schema. Disclaimer: as with any classification, the boundaries are fuzzy. -- Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 2:44 PM, Dave Katten [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think this thread is starting to show some salient aspects about metaphor that warrant some discussion, namely what is a metaphor and when is one appropriate. In my view, there are two kinds of metaphors: experiential and explanatory. Experiential metaphors are practically transparent - we use them without even thinking about them when we talk about one domain as another. My favorite example is POLITICS IS WAR - there are campaigns, one party attacks another, such a position is indefensible, what is their strategy for the ground game, etc. The way Westerners practice politics is talked about (and to an extent, experienced) the same way they practice war. The explanatory type is transient and (occasionally) forced. It is used to make a specific point about how one element in some domain (like UE architect) is kinda sorta like an element in another domain (like film directing). Yes, I can see some connections, but the systematicity of an experiential domain simply isn't there. That isn't to say pshaw to the whole thread - it's fun to try and link things together. But I think this opens up a larger topic about the place of metaphor in interaction design. I seem to recall a number of works that suggest leveraging metaphors in interaction, such as the cut, copy, paste of photocopying, which mapped to word processors, which in turn was generalized to OSs in general. That to me seems like a great experiential metaphor because users are manipulating things in the same way for the same purpose. But then I imagine some eager IxDers trying to ram every interface and every vocabulary item into a metaphor that just doesn't fit. I would argue that interaction designers should really think about how they choose and deploy metaphors and guard against forcing explanatory metaphors. As one of my friends says Just because you can do it, it doesn't mean you can do it for a living. In this case, just because you can imagine a metaphor doesn't mean the metaphor will make sense to your users. Out of curiosity, has anyone out there read Lakoff Johnson's Metaphors we live by? Best, dave katten On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 2:58 PM, W Evans [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Grip would be analogous to IT support for the team, I guess. On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 3:55 PM, Oleh Kovalchuke [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: We didn't have slides. Instead the presentation served as a seed for audience discussion (we try to encourage audience participation, hence all the interesting metaphors). As far as I understand, Project Manager analogous to Producer. Key Grip? I wonder myself... Another good book on film, which is relevant to user experience design, is Jon Boorstin's The Hollywood Eye. What makes movies work. Do come to our next meetup on May 14th :) -- it will be as exciting. Simon Hill of SpireMedia will cover user experience research and how it translates into online experience. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Language metaphor for UE disciplines
Well, I think the entire process should be thought of like an automobile. Users/Drivers/Buyers should only have control over the obvious things, AC, power windows. You can't buy a car and then decide you want 4 wheel drive on your convertible sports ride. Certain things aren't interchangeable and it's a known when you go and buy a car. If you're going to request it, it's going to cost a lot more and take a lot more time. Like when you order something custom from the McDonalds drive through, what happens? THE WAIT. c'mon I just asked for meat and a bun and I have to park and wait for 30 minutes... I apologize if I'm hard to follow. I do love metaphor and think of them when I work with dev teams. Seams like I'm always being forced into making something happen with items purchased or acquired by the wrong people. Like being asked to wash windows with a Spatula and quart of motor oil...and when questioning the items THEY just point at a nice shinny clean window. lol Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] Language metaphor for UE disciplines
This metaphor came up at our last IxDA Colorado meetup (which was quite lively, by the way). IA deals with nouns, IxD -- verbs, Visual Design -- adjectives. This is rough division, of course. -- Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Language metaphor for UE disciplines
Interesting - to add my 2 cents (and Chauncey or Saffer will kick my butt) Content Strategists are nouns, IAs is the grammar, IxD is the verbs, Visual is the adjectives, Experience Architects are the poets I know there is a Haiku in here somewhere Anyone want to play more with this? -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems - Will Evans | User Experience Architect tel +1.617.281.1281 || [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 2:51 PM, Oleh Kovalchuke [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This metaphor came up at our last IxDA Colorado meetup (which was quite lively, by the way). IA deals with nouns, IxD -- verbs, Visual Design -- adjectives. This is rough division, of course. -- Oleh Kovalchuke Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Language metaphor for UE disciplines
On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 2:55 PM, W Evans [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Interesting - to add my 2 cents (and Chauncey or Saffer will kick my butt) Content Strategists are nouns, IAs is the grammar, IxD is the verbs, Visual is the adjectives, Experience Architects are the poets Jacob Nielson is the times Lit Critic... I know there is a Haiku in here somewhere Anyone want to play more with this? -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems - Will Evans | User Experience Architect tel +1.617.281.1281 || [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 2:51 PM, Oleh Kovalchuke [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This metaphor came up at our last IxDA Colorado meetup (which was quite lively, by the way). IA deals with nouns, IxD -- verbs, Visual Design -- adjectives. This is rough division, of course. -- Oleh Kovalchuke -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems - Will Evans | User Experience Architect tel +1.617.281.1281 || [EMAIL PROTECTED] Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Language metaphor for UE disciplines
Another interesting metaphor, and the topic of the presentation at the IxDA Colorado meetup by Josh Zapin (Texturemedia), was Interaction Designer is occupies the role of Director in film industry: privides vision and guides other contributors to fulfill the vision. Inspired by book What a Producer Does by Buck Houghton. -- Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Language metaphor for UE disciplines
I would love to see the presentation - can he put it on slideshare? I am wondering whether the metaphor is really scalable like the more classic metaphors such as: time is money human life is a plant human life is a day death is a person, driver, escort etc... If it was more abstract - designing information spaces is creating a movie, who is the script writer? the cinematographer? key grid? producer? editor? On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 3:11 PM, Oleh Kovalchuke [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Another interesting metaphor, and the topic of the presentation at the IxDA Colorado meetup by Josh Zapin (Texturemedia), was Interaction Designer is occupies the role of Director in film industry: privides vision and guides other contributors to fulfill the vision. Inspired by book What a Producer Does by Buck Houghton. -- Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems - Will Evans | User Experience Architect tel +1.617.281.1281 || [EMAIL PROTECTED] Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Language metaphor for UE disciplines
We didn't have slides. Instead the presentation served as a seed for audience discussion (we try to encourage audience participation, hence all the interesting metaphors). As far as I understand, Project Manager analogous to Producer. Key Grip? I wonder myself... Another good book on film, which is relevant to user experience design, is Jon Boorstin's The Hollywood Eye. What makes movies work. Do come to our next meetup on May 14th :) -- it will be as exciting. Simon Hill of SpireMedia will cover user experience research and how it translates into online experience. -- Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 1:24 PM, W Evans [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I would love to see the presentation - can he put it on slideshare? I am wondering whether the metaphor is really scalable like the more classic metaphors such as: time is money human life is a plant human life is a day death is a person, driver, escort etc... If it was more abstract - designing information spaces is creating a movie, who is the script writer? the cinematographer? key grid? producer? editor? On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 3:11 PM, Oleh Kovalchuke [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Another interesting metaphor, and the topic of the presentation at the IxDA Colorado meetup by Josh Zapin (Texturemedia), was Interaction Designer is occupies the role of Director in film industry: privides vision and guides other contributors to fulfill the vision. Inspired by book What a Producer Does by Buck Houghton. -- Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems - Will Evans | User Experience Architect tel +1.617.281.1281 || [EMAIL PROTECTED] Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Language metaphor for UE disciplines
Grip would be analogous to IT support for the team, I guess. On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 3:55 PM, Oleh Kovalchuke [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: We didn't have slides. Instead the presentation served as a seed for audience discussion (we try to encourage audience participation, hence all the interesting metaphors). As far as I understand, Project Manager analogous to Producer. Key Grip? I wonder myself... Another good book on film, which is relevant to user experience design, is Jon Boorstin's The Hollywood Eye. What makes movies work. Do come to our next meetup on May 14th :) -- it will be as exciting. Simon Hill of SpireMedia will cover user experience research and how it translates into online experience. -- Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 1:24 PM, W Evans [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I would love to see the presentation - can he put it on slideshare? I am wondering whether the metaphor is really scalable like the more classic metaphors such as: time is money human life is a plant human life is a day death is a person, driver, escort etc... If it was more abstract - designing information spaces is creating a movie, who is the script writer? the cinematographer? key grid? producer? editor? On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 3:11 PM, Oleh Kovalchuke [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Another interesting metaphor, and the topic of the presentation at the IxDA Colorado meetup by Josh Zapin (Texturemedia), was Interaction Designer is occupies the role of Director in film industry: privides vision and guides other contributors to fulfill the vision. Inspired by book What a Producer Does by Buck Houghton. -- Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems - Will Evans | User Experience Architect tel +1.617.281.1281 || [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems - Will Evans | User Experience Architect tel +1.617.281.1281 || [EMAIL PROTECTED] Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Language metaphor for UE disciplines
On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 4:44 PM, Dave Katten [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Out of curiosity, has anyone out there read Lakoff Johnson's Metaphors we live by? I believe we all have! I believe we all *should* have read that - as well as Dan's masters thesis. Another great one is Lakoff's Women, Fire and Dangerous Things, although that is better utilized by IAs and has less meat for IxD practitioners. Best, dave katten -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems - Will Evans | User Experience Architect tel +1.617.281.1281 || [EMAIL PROTECTED] Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Language metaphor for UE disciplines
I think this thread is starting to show some salient aspects about metaphor that warrant some discussion, namely what is a metaphor and when is one appropriate. In my view, there are two kinds of metaphors: experiential and explanatory. Experiential metaphors are practically transparent - we use them without even thinking about them when we talk about one domain as another. My favorite example is POLITICS IS WAR - there are campaigns, one party attacks another, such a position is indefensible, what is their strategy for the ground game, etc. The way Westerners practice politics is talked about (and to an extent, experienced) the same way they practice war. The explanatory type is transient and (occasionally) forced. It is used to make a specific point about how one element in some domain (like UE architect) is kinda sorta like an element in another domain (like film directing). Yes, I can see some connections, but the systematicity of an experiential domain simply isn't there. That isn't to say pshaw to the whole thread - it's fun to try and link things together. But I think this opens up a larger topic about the place of metaphor in interaction design. I seem to recall a number of works that suggest leveraging metaphors in interaction, such as the cut, copy, paste of photocopying, which mapped to word processors, which in turn was generalized to OSs in general. That to me seems like a great experiential metaphor because users are manipulating things in the same way for the same purpose. But then I imagine some eager IxDers trying to ram every interface and every vocabulary item into a metaphor that just doesn't fit. I would argue that interaction designers should really think about how they choose and deploy metaphors and guard against forcing explanatory metaphors. As one of my friends says Just because you can do it, it doesn't mean you can do it for a living. In this case, just because you can imagine a metaphor doesn't mean the metaphor will make sense to your users. Out of curiosity, has anyone out there read Lakoff Johnson's Metaphors we live by? Best, dave katten On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 2:58 PM, W Evans [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Grip would be analogous to IT support for the team, I guess. On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 3:55 PM, Oleh Kovalchuke [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: We didn't have slides. Instead the presentation served as a seed for audience discussion (we try to encourage audience participation, hence all the interesting metaphors). As far as I understand, Project Manager analogous to Producer. Key Grip? I wonder myself... Another good book on film, which is relevant to user experience design, is Jon Boorstin's The Hollywood Eye. What makes movies work. Do come to our next meetup on May 14th :) -- it will be as exciting. Simon Hill of SpireMedia will cover user experience research and how it translates into online experience. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
