Metaphors help writers combine the various elements of organization and effective screen design into a meaningful whole (Shirk, 1991). Henrietta N. Shirk (1991) claims that the most successful hypertexts have an underlying metaphor, which draws its readers into the intellectual environment created by interacting with the computer. Whenever possible, visual and audio effects should support the metaphor.
William Horton (1994) recommends that "if there is a widely known schema (book, journal, TV), then use it. If not, do not force a metaphor on the user" (p. 205). Readers can find contrived metaphors both trite and annoying.
Consider the following as possible metaphors for hypertext documents:
Book
Spatial/travel
Control panel
Photo album
Television
Games
Showroom
Magazine
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Last Updated: May 2, 2001
(c)2000 by Alysson Troffer. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce or redistribute any material from this document, in whole or in part, without written permission.