Metaphor-enabled interface architectures : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Information Sciences, Massey University

Abstract

In today's contemporary society, the most common method in searching for information is through Web Information Systems (WIS). The Internet is open to people regardless of the different backgrounds one may come from e.g. ethnicities, gender, age, culture etc. The Internet is also widely used because of its simple layout and to an extent the language used is easy to understand. Although this may not be true in all cases. Some of the key websites such as e.g. Google, Yahoo and Wikipedia are designed to have easy and quick access to information. Most languages incorporate metaphors and to an extent, so does the Web. Users interact with metaphors and respond to them in different ways and also they can search for information on the Web and use different web-based applications in their daily life such as Internet banking, online flight booking, online libraries etc. The information presented to the users is mainly controlled by the website and it might not be presented in a favourable manner that may suit the user. Metaphors can be introduced into websites to enhance the presentation of the information and the way users interact with websites. The aim of this thesis is to identify an approach where metaphors can be employed as an extension of websites and adapt to the different user types in order to make their interaction with the website more efficient and effective. [From Introduction]