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Published Articles >> Table of Contents >> Abstract
Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing (VL/HCC'06)
pp. 95-102
Sketching with Conceptual Metaphors to Explain Computational Processes
David G. Hendry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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DOI Bookmark: http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/VLHCC.2006.44
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| Abstract |
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To explore how people conceptualize a complex system,
232 university students were asked to sketch how a search
engine works. While the sketches reveal a diverse range of
visual and conceptual approaches, a subset of the sketches
exhibit an underlying regularity for describing algorithmic
processes. To explain this regularity, I propose the
conceptual metaphor: A SEARCH ENGINE IS A SERIES OF TEXT
TRANSFORMATIONS and describe a set of mappings from
sketchable graphic markings to abstractions in the search
engine domain. I believe that this metaphor can be applied
to enable people to more effectively conceptualize,
describe, and explore complex systems.
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 Additional Information
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Citation:
David G. Hendry,
"Sketching with Conceptual Metaphors to Explain Computational Processes,"
vlhcc,
pp. 95-102,
Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing (VL/HCC'06),
2006
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