Chapter 9 The Conceptual Structure of Information Space

In this chapter we examine how people think about the information space of the World Wide Web. We provide empirical evidence collected in interviews with beginning and experienced web users to show that much of people's conceptual experience of the web is metaphorical and understood through the process of conceptual integration. We argue that designers of tools for navigation and collaboration in information space should consider how people experience web space, including the natural tendency to metaphorically construe information space in terms of physical space. Navigation is a basic part of human experience. Walking across a parking lot, driving to work, and searching for an item in a store or library all involve navigation: moving from one point to another in physical space. Empirical research has shown that while navigating, people rely on different types o