Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Appendix B: Semiotic Analysis
This appendix lists the criteria used in the SA analysis.
Actors, audiences, paradigms.
Define the UI actors (designers, systems/computing agents, and users), who are the
intended audiences of the UI, and the leading interaction paradigm that shapes the
interaction and communication. Communication from the UI to the actors should be
concise, clear, and unambiguous. The audiences can be revealed, for example, by
comparing UIs within similar semantic spaces (e.g., functions). The paradigm can be
analyzed by the affordances and limits it sets to the UI users.
Symbols.
Different kinds of symbols connote different semantic spaces, cultural backgrounds
and address different audiences. The symbols should be intelligible for the audience
and should not carry ambiguous, pejorative, or conflicting meaning. Symbols should
be chosen to support the structure of the UI language components.
Syntax.
Signs should be used in a minimalistic manner, possibly only once in a given context,
and should not be in conflict with context. Similar signs should be placed in similar
places to help build a UI hierarchy and user's expectations. The signs should be
divisible into identifiable elements and allow for building meaningful chains. The
signs should be consistent both internally (within a UI) and externally (across multiple
UIs). The system processes are communicated by UI language components, which
should heed the expected syntax.
Rhetorical tropes.
The most common rhetorical tropes in the UI are devices of substitution: metaphor,
metonymy, prosopopoeia, and synecdoche. The rhetorical tropes used should be in-
telligible for the audiences and used effectively. The general metaphor of the UI
should help users build the correct expectations of future interaction through the use
of consistent mental models. The rhetorical tropes often take the form of implied
actions.
Interaction phases.
The beginning of the interaction should be consistent with both middle and end. All
the parts of the interaction should follow user's expectations and should pertain clearly
to the current interaction game. The user should not be forced to perform a different
action than he or she intended. The signs present in a UI should lead the user in a
sequence towards the goal of the interaction game through a control of narration.
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