Tim Rohrer, Ph.D., University of Oregon, Currently Fulbright Research Fellow '98-'99, University of Aarhus: Visualizing Metaphors: Conceptual blending and the human computer interface

Much innovation in user interface design has come from the attention given to metaphoric and iconic representations. Using a variety of examples drawn from web interfaces, the desktop, the media, and even the visual arts, I first explain the established view (Lakoff and Johnson's conceptual metaphor theory) of how and why such metaphors work, and then contrast it with an emerging new theoretic framework called conceptual integration networks (Fauconnier and Turner; aka 'conceptual blending'). I argue that the theoretic baggage of the former view has some trouble explaining and producing the creative and magical qualities of good application/interface design (clipboards which act like photocopiers, instantaneous recalculation in spreadsheets, etc.) The reason is that Lakoff and Johnson's view does not explicitly handle disanalogous metaphoric projection, but such disanalogies are actually the font of useful, magical and creative innovation. By contrast, Fauconnier and Turner's theoretic framework provides several constraint-based principles which explain how such disanalogies can be maintained yet still cohere into an integrated and useful software feature. I conclude that conceptual integration networks are a more generic and comprehensive view of the creative process.

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Ola Henfridsson