System Metaphor Revisited: The Lost XP Practice
Add to calendarSystem Metaphor was and is an elusive practice of the original XP. It has largely been forgotten over time.
Yet in the past few years, my colleagues and I have discovered the stunning power of a genuine System Metaphor on our own shipping product. This makes us wonder why System Metaphor ever went out of vogue.
This session will explore why Metaphor matters. We’ll examine how our own Music Metaphor reshaped our flagship product, even our company, and how the right metaphor can supply the driving beat that can turn your product into a hit.
The first 45 minutes will be a fast-paced talk with some Q+A. We’ll cover core concepts of metaphors, including insights from the classic book, Metaphors We Live By. Then we’ll look at System Metaphor, including what it is and is not. We’ll explore several examples of real-world System Metaphors.
Next, we’ll look at how the Music Metaphor throughly changed both the architecture and user experience of our eLearning product. We’ll look at before and after UML to see the stunning impact of the change and how the UI evolved along with the System Metaphor.
We’ll conclude with a discussion about the future of System Metaphor and how we can perhaps bring back this lost XP practice.
- Learn a brief history of the System Metaphor practice
- Understand what a System Metaphor is and is not
- Explore real-world System Metaphors and their impact on software design, product development and user experience
- Learn how a metaphor can lead you to surprising or unanticipated design and product insights
- Discover ways to make it easier for people to benefit from the System Metaphor practice.
