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Metaphors and Direct Manipulation

Metaphors and Direct Manipulation. Metaphors Direct manipulation Dynamic queries.

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Metaphors and Direct Manipulation

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  1. Metaphors and Direct Manipulation Metaphors Direct manipulation Dynamic queries Slide deck by Saul Greenberg. Permission is granted to use this for non-commercial purposes as long as general credit to Saul Greenberg is clearly maintained. Warning: some material in this deck is used from other sources without permission. Credit to the original source is given if it is known.

  2. Metaphors • Pervade excellent interfaces games (literal world) spreadsheet (actuary sheet)

  3. Forms Control Panels with familiar controls Hierarchical Folders Metaphors

  4. Metaphors in interfaces • Definition • represents a system object as if it were another type of object • disc / network file structure represented as file folders • Purpose • leverages our knowledge of familiar, concrete objects to understand abstract computer and task concepts • Problem • metaphor portrays inaccurate/naive conceptual model of the system A presentation tool is a slide projector

  5. Metaphors in interfaces • Things to watch for • Use metaphors that matches user's conceptual task • desktop metaphor for office workers • paintbrush metaphor for artists... • Given a choice, choose the metaphor close to the way the system works • Ensure emotional tone is appropriate to users • eg file deletion metaphors • trashcan • black hole • paper shredder • pit bull terrier • nuclear disposal unit...

  6. Metaphors in interfaces • Things to watch for • will it restrict what people could actually do? • strict file/folder hierarchy vssystem allows links between directories • will it set unrealistic expectations? • Clipit

  7. Metaphors in interfaces • Common pitfalls • overly literal • unnecessary fidelity • excessive interactions • unnecessary restrictions • overly cute • novelty quickly wears off • mismatched • does not match user’s task and/or thinking

  8. Rooms Xerox PARC

  9. TeamRooms applets shared whiteboard List of rooms List of users chat tool Roseman and Greenberg, U Calgary

  10. TeamRooms • Room metaphor implies: • persistent room artifacts • both synchronous and asynchronous activity • asynchronous communication by sticky notes attached to artifacts • “for free” standard tools • ability to bring in custom tools via (applets) • same place/different place activity • knowing who is around • trivial groupware connectivity • ...

  11. Metaphor misuses Milltronics' Dolphin Plus - a configuration package for industrial level and flow sensors

  12. Direct Manipulation • Direct manipulation • interface behaves as though the interaction was with a real-world object rather than with an abstract system • the feeling of working directly on the task • Central ideas • visibility of the objects of interest • rapid, reversible, incremental actions • manipulation by pointing and moving • immediate and continuous display of results • Almost always based on a metaphor • mapped onto some facet of the real world task semantics

  13. Direct Manipulation Microsoft Solitaire

  14. Direct manipulation • Representation affects what can be directly manipulated Microsoft Schedule+

  15. Contact lists Find “Green” >S. Greenberg >Dept Computer Science >University of Calgary Command systemno direct manipulation Form metaphor:syntactic direct manipulation ICQ

  16. Contact lists Phone booka mix… Microsoft Outlook

  17. A-F T-Z J-S Harleck, P. Guttenburg, A. Greenberg, S. Dept Computer Science University of Calgary Contact lists Rolodex

  18. Contact lists IBM RealPhone

  19. Direct and abstract manipulation • Most good applications mix the two for power

  20. Dynamic queries • Searches and queries by • adjust sliders, buttons, check boxes, and other control widgets • display immediate updates as the control is adjusted • Why? • rapid searching with imprecise queries • people explore data interactions and limits

  21. Home Finder Shneiderman et al University of Maryland http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/spotfire/

  22. HomeBay Dynamic Queries RadarOverview Progressive details on demand 481 Student Project (April, 2000) Rob Pearson, Kashama Willms andJames Chisan

  23. What you now know • Metaphors • leverages our knowledge of the familiar and concrete • Direct manipulation • visibility of the objects of interest • rapid, reversible, incremental actions • manipulation by pointing and moving • immediate and continuous display of results (dynamic queries)

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