Natural Mapping

When you think of mapping something out what do you think of? Most of us probably think of showing directions and the layout of something so that another person can understand what is being showed. Mapping is a part of design. When we design something we want it to make sense how it works and show the user the directions and layout of our design. But we don't want our mapping to take away from the design or be too complicated.

"To move an object up, move the control up" 

-Donald Norman

Donald Norman talks about natural mapping and how it relates to design. He says "Natural mapping, by which I mean taking advantage of physical analogies and cultural standards, leads to immediate understanding. For example, a designer can use spatial analogy: to move an object up, move the control up. To control an array of lights, arrange the controls in the same pattern as the lights. Some natural mappings are cultural or biological, as in the universal standard that a rising level represents more, a diminishing level, less. Similarly, a louder sound can mean a greater amount" (Norman. 2013). He also gave the example of a stove top. We have four burners and four nobs that control the burners individually. But how do we layout the nobs so that the user knows which goes to which burner? He showed us a few different options but some of them just do not work for the layout of a stove. If you want to turn on the back left burner you would think to use the back left knob, right? Well what if you knobs aren't in a square but are in a straight line? The designer had to come up with a solution to this issue and the most common is a small diagram of four burners in a square and the one it runs it highlighted.



Norman, Donald. "The Design of Everyday Things." · UsabilityPost. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.