Image schemas and their metaphorical extensions: Intuitive patterns for tangible interaction

One of the goals of tangible interaction is to build more intuitive interfaces. This paper gives a definition of intuitivity and presents a continuum of knowledge serving as a classification for intuitive interaction. Against the background of the continuum recent taxonomies for tangible interaction are reviewed. A new approach for classifying tangible interaction will be presented: image schemas and their metaphorical extensions. Motivated by linguistic studies of meaning this taxonomy is able to overcome some limitations of previous approaches. The taxonomy is illustrated with examples of using image schemas and their metaphorical extensions in potential TUI applications. A more complex example, the Tangible Memories Box, shows how our taxonomy and earlier approaches may complement each other.