Using analogies in web design
Jared Spool of UIE.com used an analogy of glasses in the kitchen when describing information architecture of large websites. He also asks the question whether it is a good analogy or not.
To me, it is quite obvious. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked the question.
I suppose he has already read a study of the Wichita University, “Metaphors and Website Design: A Cross-Cultural Case Study of the Tide.com Stain Detective“. So why step in the same trap as the people at Tide did?
Clearly, if one has to use an analogy or a metaphor for describing a uniform process, the analogy or the metaphor has to be uniform as well. That is, everyone involved with the process has to understand the notion in the same way.
Though in the majority of cases (e.g.: nail - steel thingie for men vs finger decoration for women) it may be hard to pick the right analogy, there has to be a better variant. If not, one’d rather speak straight instead of confusing any part of his readers. (Hope I didn’t confuse any, did I?)
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