From Drew Harry

February 11, 2008 18:43

3 comments

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Designers of online venues … leverage metaphors to flatten (or sharpen) the learning curve

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What the hell? Sharpen the learning curve? And this is in an essay about metaphors in design. Oops. Quote not sourced to protect the innocent.

I am officially done with “learning curves.” They just don’t work as a metaphor. What are the axes on this supposed curve? Time/Aptitude seem like a reasonable pair, but then “steep learning curve” doesn’t make sense. Really, the only way to make “steep learning curve” a reasonable metaphor would be to flip axes. But who puts time on the Y axis?


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from Katie Rivard

February 24, 2008 19:01

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Learning curve axes:

x: proficiency in activity y: effort

Then a shallow learning curve means you get a lot of proficiency without having to try very hard, and a steep learning curve means you have to read four manuals to figure out how to fall flat on your face.

from Jon Chambers

February 25, 2008 19:30

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I’ve also heard/read people referring to people as having a learning curve. For example, I recall hearing that “she has a very steep learning curve,” implying that “she was gaining knowledge quickly.”

Not sure how I feel about that. Also, can metaphors be transitive?

from Drew Harry

February 25, 2008 20:18

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I think you’re definitely right — those are the axes that make the metaphor work, but it seems highly unintuitive. Time is v. rarely on the Y axis. I think the basic issue is the operant metaphor here isn’t a numerical one, it’s a physical one. Steep and shallow are referencing hill-climbing (in a non-algorithmic sense), which is a pretty evocative image. It’s just that throwing curve in there muddies the metaphor and makes me think about axes which is really beside the point. Maybe something like a “steep/shallow learning experience/process?”

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