Currently browsing interface metaphors
Are Tabs A Dying Metaphor?
I begin to wonder about the longevity of a navigation metaphor like tabs (see my last post).
It’s origins are understandable enough–a once brilliant way to help the world understand how to use those newfangled web pages (or computers in general) by using a metaphor everyone understood, file folders. In the late 80’s/early 90’s most people could relate to using files and folders to store and find information. But is that still true today?
With more and more generations online that have never used a physical file folder, I wonder if we’re hanging on to that metaphor a bit too long?
