Focus Group: Metaphor in Software Development

The New Oxford Dictionary of English A powerful and well-chosen metaphor can speak a thousand words in terms of the insight it gives to the audience; a poor one can hide and confuse intent. ftware development involves communication of abstract and aphysical concepts, it is no surprise that metaphor is a frequently used tool, whether in naming code artefacts, explaining architecture, naming patterns [Buschmann+2007], characterising process or communicating user interface models. The Focus Group The focus group sought to explore the use of specific metaphors in software development as well as the general benefits or liabilities of using metaphor, and the properties of a successful metaphor. The focus group participants split into two groups to brainstorm different metaphors and look at their positive and negative entailments. The results were combined and the implications discussed. 

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: EUROPLOP
• Authors: Kevlin Henney, Andy Longshaw
• Keywords: EUROPLOP 2006, Focus Group, Programming Languages, The Focus Group, Well-chosen Metaphor