This article was written for Scroll magazine number two, on the theme of “place”, where it appeared in edited form as “Disrupting the Conceptual Metaphors of the Web”:
http://scrollmagazine.com/number-2/conceptual-metaphors
We’ve developed an array of metaphors for talking about the intangible spaces of the web. Maybe it’s time to unshackle ourselves from some of them.
The hype around Web 2.0 continues to increase to the point of absurdity. We hear all about a rich web of data, but what can we learn from these trends to actually apply to our designs? You’ll take a tour through the past, present, and future of the web to answer these questions and more:
* What can we learn from the rich history of data visualization to inform our designs today?
* How can we do amazing work while battle the constant constraints we find ourselves up against?
* How do we really incorporate users into our practice of user experience?