Sketching with Conceptual Metaphors to Explain Computational Processes

To explore how people conceptualize a complex system, 232 university students were asked to sketch how a search engine works. While the sketches reveal a diverse range of visual and conceptual approaches, a subset of the sketches exhibit an underlying regularity for describing algorithmic processes. To explain this regularity, the author proposes the conceptual metaphor: a search engine is a series of text transformations and describe a set of mappings from sketchable graphic markings to abstractions in the search engine domain. The author believes that this metaphor can be applied to enable people to more effectively conceptualize, describe, and explore complex systems