Interface metaphor
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An '''Interface metaphor''' is a set of [[user interface]] visuals, actions and procedures that exploit specific knowledge that users already have of other domains. The purpose of the interface metaphor is to give the user instantaneous knowledge about how to interact with the user interface.
The folders and the file cabinet representation of the file system of an operating system is an example of Interface metaphor. Another example is the tree view representation of a file system, as in [[Windows Explorer]], that helps a user to intuitively use it.
== Functional definition ==
Interface metaphors are designed to be similar to physical entities but also have their own properties (e.g., [[desktop metaphor]] and [[web portal]]s).
They can be based on an activity, an object, or a combination of both. They work with [[User (computing)|users']] familiar knowledge to help them understand ‘the unfamiliar.’ They conjure up the essence of the unfamiliar activity, but they put it in terms users are better able to understand.
==Generation of metaphors==
===Historical contributions===
In the mid-twentieth century, computers were extremely rare and used only by specialists. They were equipped with complicated interfaces comprehensible only to these select few. In 1968, [[Douglas Englebart]] gave a demonstration which astonished executives at [[Xerox]]. [http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/gui.ars/1] They began work on what would eventually become the [[Xerox Alto]]. In 1973 Xerox completed work on the first [[personal computer]], the [[Xerox Alto]], which had a sophisticated [[graphical user interface]] involving windows, icons, a mouse and a pointer. ([[WIMP]]) [http://toastytech.com/guis/alto.html]
Unfortunately, the [[Xerox Alto]], and its successor the [[Xerox Star]] were far too expensive for the average [[consumer]], but also suffered from poor marketing. In 1984 [[Apple Computer]] launched the [[Apple Macintosh]], which was the first affordable and commercially successful personal computer to include a [[graphical user interface]] (GUI). The Macintosh was the second [[Apple Computer]] to ship with a [[graphical user interface]], with the [[Apple Lisa]] being the first. Both the Macintosh and the Lisa's user interfaces very closely resembled the [[Xerox Alto]]'s. [http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/gui.ars/4]
In 1985, [[Microsoft]] released [[Microsoft Windows]] which bore a striking resemblance to both Macintosh, and to the Alto's interface. [[Microsoft Windows]] eventually overtook Apple in the PC market to become the predominant GUI. [http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/gui.ars/5]
===Recent findings===
Interface metaphors have come a long way since they were first used. Recently, it has been predicted that the latest metaphors will come from [[life sciences]]. Others may come from [[health care]] or other industries, as they are going to become information-dense environments. An interface for a next-generation [[technology]] might come from the [[Video game|gaming]] world, where quick visualization metaphors will be.
A downside to changing interface metaphors on a constant basis is that the owners of [[software]] with many users are reluctant to make big changes, and their interfaces tend to evolve incrementally and to keep their familiar look and familiarity.
==Evaluation==
Software designers attempt to make computer applications easier to use for both novice and expert users by creating concrete metaphors that resemble the users' real-world experiences. Continual technological improvement has made metaphors depict these real-world experiences more realistically to ultimately enhance interface performance.
Beginning users, however, could use a sort of help box, because the metaphor not always going to be clear enough for them to understand, no matter how much effort its programmers devote to making it resemble something the users understand.
Experts, on the other hand, understand what is going on with the technical aspects of an interface metaphor. They know what they want to do and they know how to do it—-they could just use a way to do it faster, so they could use shortcuts.
While the concept behind interface metaphors appears simple (to promote more efficient facilitation of a computer), a lack of empirical evidence exists to support these claims. Little research has actually been completed that demonstrates the benefits of implementing metaphors in computer systems as well as what makes a metaphor most effective. Therefore, it is imperative that more research be done to discover how to further improve interface metaphors so that both novice and expert computer users are able to increase their performance.
==References==
* Carroll, J. K., Mack, R. L. & Kellogg, W. A. (1988), Interface Metaphors and User Interface Design, in M. Helander (ed.), "Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction", Elsevier Science, pp.67-85.
* Zmoeinig,C. (2000). ''The graphical user interface. Time for a paradigm shift?'' Retrieved [[March 31]] [[2006]] from http://www.sensomatic.com/chz/gui/index.html
* Vaananen K. and J. Schimdt (1994). "User Interface for Hypermedia: How to Find Good Metaphors?". In Proceedings of CHI'94. Boston, April 1994.
==See also==
* [[User interface design]]
* [[Desktop metaphor]]
* [[Desktop environment]]
* [[Word processor]]
==External links==
* [http://www.intellectbooks.com/iconic/metaphor/metaphor.htm The Use of Metaphors in Iconic Interface Design]
* [http://www.baddesigns.com/mswebcnf.htm Do Metaphors Make Web Browsers Easier to Use?]
* [http://www.katalinszabo.com/metaphor.htm Metaphors and the User Interface]
* [http://galileo.cincom.unical.it/Pubblicazioni/editoria/period/Numeri/quad2htm/Quad25.htm ''Exploring Calabrian Culture: An Interactive Hypermedia Prototype'']
{{Window Managers}}
[[Category:User interface techniques]]
[[Category:Metaphors]]
[[Category:Software architecture]]