Tools and Techniques for Creative Design

Mountsford notes the long history in art/music/architecture of "borrowing" from previous media.

Note the similariity between

• the principle of "anticipation" in film/animation (a character signals forward motion by first drawing up and pulling slightly backwards) and
• the principle of "visibility" in UI: sound and animation to indicate a file/folder is opening

Quite often, metaphor focuses principles; e.g. the principle "form follows function" in architecture/design is extended by expressions like "a house is a machine for living" (rather than a shelter).

Issues of trade-offs are always paramount

• between requirements and contstraints, as usual, but also
• between formal methodology and "beauty, harmony, and pleasure"

Pictures can contain TOO MUCH information, alternatives can include

• conversational (actor/agent) metaphor
• symbolic representations (e.g. icons, schematics, color coding)

Even though use of metaphor is powerful

• and helpful to both users and designers

• "metaphors do not imply a complete mapping of every concrete detail [...]"
• "Thorough examination of a metaphor helps designers [...]"
• Question: how do we "thoroughly examine" a metaphor?

Techniques for generating designs include brainstorming and role playing.

• Are designers an elite group of gifted individuals?
• No.
• But it is important to exercise your imagination (in your "right brain")
• This means deliberately attempting to take a fresh perspective, either by
  • juxtaposing or recombining ideas, for example:
    • new uses for the object
    • adapt the object to be like something else
    • modify the object for a new purpose
    • magnify - add to the object
    • minimize - subtract from the object
    • substitute something similar
    • rearrange the data
    • reverse of transpose the information
    • combine data into an ensemble
  • approaching as an Explorer, Artist, Judge, or Warrior
  • Also important: NOT JUST ONE

Erickson says metaphor is ubiquitous

Is the distinction between a voice mail box and voice mail service an important one?

One approach to evaluating a metaphor

• Amount of structure: is it abstract, like links, or concrete, like a newspaper
• Applicability of Structure: Q: is there a capacity to mislead?
  A: Yes. There ALWAYS is (because of the partial mapping property)
• Representability: is it "iconable" and visual, or, again, highly abstract?
• Suitability to Audience: request best guess test
• Extensibility: Question: Why don't files and folders on the desktop get put away into a filing cabinet?

If the metaphor is good, it should be used to its full extent, and it should not be confounded, corrupted, diluted, or excepted under any circumstances.