Alternative paradigms

Citation

(1999), "Alternative paradigms", Work Study, Vol. 48 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.1999.07948baa.004

Alternative paradigms

Alternative paradigms

The way in which we present information is very important. In the electronic world, where "traditional" cultural reference points may not apply, this is more important and more difficult to understand. This is why personal computers use the "desktop" metaphor ­ it reminds us of the physical desktop and helps shortcut the orientation and learning process. Software packages may extend or replace this metaphor, perhaps building an entirely new paradigm. However, most of these mirror and/or mimic known physical environments ­ for obvious reasons. There becomes a point where this becomes self-defeating ­ when the application is so complex, that the metaphor does not hold, and gets in the way of the application. We need a "real" alternative paradigm, built solely as a human-computer interface, not built on an existing model but built to meet the specific needs ­ and extendable into the future. This requires a new geography, a new topography and the ability to relate this to ­ at least initially ­ a known world, whilst the user acquires the skills to move past the metaphor fully into the new paradigm. If only I had a few hours (!) to spend, I might build a prototype.