by
Susan H. Tanney
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Industrial Engineering
University of Washington
1999
Approved by Thomas A. Furness III,
Chairperson of Supervisory Committee
Program Authorized
to Offer Degree: Industrial Engineering
Date: 26 May 1999
In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master’s degree at the University of Washington, I agree that the Library shall make its copies freely available for inspection. I further agree that extensive copying of this thesis is allowable only for scholarly purposes, consistent with “fair use” as prescribed in the U.S. Copyright Law. Any other reproduction for any purposes or by any means shall not be allowed without my written permission.
Date: 15 March 1996
Abstract
A Spatial Language for the Design of Digital Information Places
by Susan H. Tanney
Chairperson of Supervisory Committee: Professor Thomas A. Furness IIII,
Department of Industrial Engineering
The increase and availability of digital data currently exceeds human ability to filter and turn it into useful information. Filtering through these data, rather than a time of discovery is more often a time-consuming chore. This thesis posits that a language, based on patterns of form and spatial metaphor can be used to guide the design of digital information spaces to communicate identity, structure, and meaning. Form and spatial relationships can symbolically represent content through a stylized presentation that unfolds information to the user as they interact with the content. The arrangement of form and space can support the construction of mental model and facilitate human interaction and decision making within digital information. A survey was conducted to test the ability of form and spatial metaphor to communicate information. Results are discussed along with an example application. Concluding remarks highlight potential application and directions for future work.
Introduction
Chapter I: Influential Work
The author wishes to express sincere appreciation to committee members Dr. Thomas A. Furness, Dr. Judith Ramey, Dr. Maxwell Wells, and Dr. Bill Winn for guidance and support. Thanks to the students, staff, and affiliates of the Human Interface Technology Laboratory for their friendship and assistance. Special thanks to James Tanney, Karen Tanney, and Dace Campbell for encouragement.