Reflection Blog 07
Today’s session of “Design and the Human Condition” was focused on two of the significant terms in design; ‘mental-models’ and ‘ metaphors’. The session, initiated with the mental-models. Being a graphic design student I often heard this term but was not quite sure what it meant. During today’s session, I was better able to comprehend its meaning. Mental models are really important for any design-oriented field especially interaction design. Mental models are opposed to the factual concept and can be interpreted as the artifacts of belief. It is an imaginary structure or concept in the people’s mind through which they perceive the world around them. Especially in the case of the users, it guides them on how a function can be operated. For the designers, it is very important to understand their users’ mental models and work according to them so that the design created is feasible and not too complex for the user to understand. For e.g, while researching for the mental models; I came across a confused mental model that even I was previously confused about i.e. the difference between the Google search engine and the URL browser. Due to the ambiguity, users are often confused between searching for browsers and websites. Therefore, instead of entering the browser name in the URL box, they enter it in the google search bar. To resolve this problem, now a small search icon can be seen in the URL box for guidance. This shows how icons can be used to cope up with a user’s mental model.
The other half of the session was based on the use of metaphors in design. In design, metaphors help to incorporate abstract concepts in concrete terms. Like its use in English grammar, it unites two dissimilar objects based on one trait. For example, a soldier and a lion are entirely different creatures but they are metaphorically related for their bravery such as an eagle and a car for their speed. I was intrigued by the metaphorical use of time as money explained during the session. While researching, I also found out, that there are two types of metaphors in advertising.
The following image shows an ad for the automobile company Toyota. The ad represents nothing related to automobiles (Fig. 01). Instead, it shows humans forming a branch of the tree in a completely organic surrounding that supports the tagline of the company. This is a pure metaphor that represents a completely different thing from the product. Pure metaphor is used when the product is complex or simply intangible.
The following photographs represent an ad against genetically engineered food (Fig 02). It displays a carrot and a spring onion in the form of a scorpion and as spider respectively; metaphorically declaring that genetically modified food is poisonous and can be dangerous for the health. This is a fused metaphor when a certain characteristic of the product is fused with something else.
I believe that metaphors can be an effective solution when it comes to advertising. It may help to polish the marketing skill and create an impactful presentation of the brand. They make a stronger impression and help the designer to send the messages more creatively.
https://www.creitive.com/global/blog/bring-out-the-power-of-metaphors
