Using early memories for inclusive design Image Schemas

Using early memories for inclusive design – Image Schemas and their Metaphorical Extensions Jörn Hurtienne 04. 09. 2007

„Intuitive interface designed to make searching fast and easy“ http: //www. hurricanesoft. com/hsearch. jsp 2

Intuitive use • Intuitive use is unconscious application of pre-existing knowledge IUUI • Sounds like expert knowledge… • For larger user groups it must be different knowledge – early learning, frequent encoding and retrieval, shared 3

Image Schemas in User Interfaces • Physical Mapping • Metaphorical Mapping 4

Image Schemas: metaphorical extensions • Quantity: MORE IS UP – Speak up please. Keep your voice down please. • Quality: GOOD IS UP – We hit a peak last year, but it’s been downhill ever since • Quality: VIRTUE IS UP – She is an upstanding citizen. That was a low-down thing to do. • Power and Control: HIGH STATUS IS UP – He’s climbing the career ladder. He’s at the bottom of the social hierarchy. 5

Image Schemas • FORCE – attraction, balance, blockage, compulsion, counterforce, diversion, enablement, momentum, restraint removal, resistance • SPACE – center-periphery, contact, front-back, left-right, near-far, path, rotation, scale, up-down • CONTAINMENT – container, in-out, content, full-empty, surface • PROCESS – iteration, cycle • MULTIPLICITY – merging, collection, splitting, part-whole, count-mass, linkage, matching • ATTRIBUTE – straight, warm-cold, big-small, bright-dark, fast-slow, hard-soft, heavy-light, strong-weak, rough-smooth 6

Metaphorical Extensions • FORCE SIMILAR IS NEAR GOOD IS STRAIGHT – attraction, balance, blockage, compulsion, counterforce, diversion, GOOD IS BRIGHT enablement, momentum, restraint removal, resistance • SPACE AFFECTION IS WARMTH – center-periphery, contact, front-back, left-right, near-far, path, rotation, scale, up-down IMPORTANT IS CENTRAL • CONTAINMENT CONSIDERED IS NEAR – container, in-out, content, full-empty, surface • PROCESS COMPARISON IS BALANCE – iteration, cycle • MULTIPLICITY GENERAL IS UP TIME IS A CONTAINER – merging, collection, splitting, part-whole, count-mass, linkage, DIFFICULTIES ARE HEAVY matching • ATTRIBUTE EVENTS ARE PATHS – straight, warm-cold, big-small, bright-dark, fast-slow, hard-soft, heavy-light, strong-weak, rough-smooth PROBLEMS ARE BLOCKAGES 7

Testing Image Schema Theory 1. Does it make valid claims for the design of user interfaces? 2. Does it support the UI design process? 3. Does it lead to new insights about designing user interfaces? Does it contributes to the understanding in the field of designing user interfaces? 8

Experiments, e. g. UP-DOWN, LEFT-RIGHT 300 0 0 300 • Violation and Respectation of metaphors • Buttons and Sliders • Quality and Quantity Metaphors • Measuring response time and subjective judgment 9

Performance in the slider experiment • Reaction Time (ms, N=40, vertical) -6% -11% -6% 10

Preference in the slider experiment • How well suited is this design for entering this specific information? (N=40, vertical) ++ + +/+/- - -- 11

ISO 13407: Human-centred design process Plan for HCD Specify context of use Evaluate designs Product meets usability and business goals Specify requirements Produce design solutions Success! 12

Redesign for Intuitive Use + = 13

Image Schema Database 16

Testing Image Schema Theory 1. Does it make valid claims for the design of user interfaces? 2. Does it support the UI design process? 3. Does it lead to new insights about designing user interfaces? Does it contributes to the understanding in the field of designing user interfaces? • We have some support for each of these requirements, but this is just the beginning… – More research must follow 17