Tiziana Catarci, Maria F. Costabile, Maristella Matera Visual Metaphors for Interacting with Databases Introduction The need for better human-computer interaction (HCI) has been widely recognized and discussed, even in the database area. It is generally accepted that the quality of the interaction mainly depends on the interface characteristics. How does one recognize "good" interfaces? The use of a suitable metaphor is crucial. Unfortunately, to put it as a metaphor, speaking about metaphors in HCI is like walking on a slippery floor. We would like to come up with a definition of metaphor that is specific to the particular needs of the database area, and, of course, of the database users. Thus, we will highlight some peculiarities of the database interaction. The following considerations should constitute a basis towards a formal approach for the construction of effective metaphors for interacting with databases. in terms of how the intended target concepts are being viewed (the borrowed idea). Conventional metaphors are usually represented as sets of associations, or relations, between source and target concepts. For examples, in the metaphor "I am in Word" (Word is a document editor), the target concepts represent the state of currently using a computer process. The
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