Comparing Pictorial and Tangible Notations of Force Image Schemas

Abstract

Force image schemas (FIS) are cognitive representations of our naïve understanding of physical force dynamic events in the world. Designers have been struggling to apply FIS in their design processes, because their deliberate use has been made difficult by applying too abstract notations. In this paper we try to advance FIS as a possible theoretical framework for tangible design and present new pictorial and tangible notations of FIS that aim to be more directly applicable. The new notations were tested by asking non-experts to (1) match pictorial and tangible FIS representations to force image schema names and (2) to develop design ideas based on these pictorial or tangible representations. While the group working with the pictorial notations was more correct in assigning FIS names to FIS representations, design ideas tended to be more tangible and interactive in the group working with the tangible FIS notations.