Guidelines for metaphor design

Marcus, A. (1994)

Getting the right mixture:

"An appropriate metaphor balances delicately expectation and surprise on the part of the user/viewer. If the substitution is too alien to the user's culture or too far-fetched, the user will become confused, disinterested, distracted, bored, or antagonistic to the message carried by the metaphor."

A few guidelines:

Organisation:

Simple, clear and consistent metaphor(s)

Economize:

Maximize the effectiveness of a minimal set of metaphors

Emphasize important elements of metaphor, play down unused parts

Communicate:

Match metaphor to capabilities/experience of user

Verify concepts and 'readability' of display