Form of model used by humans to communicate.
Still a form of abstraction.
Used to represent something but not in literal sense – putting a complex explanation into simple terms.
Examples:
- Food for thought
- Something that warrants serious consideration
- Lions lead by Donkeys
- German High Command description of the British Army in World War 1
- A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
- It is better to be content with what you have than to risk losing everything by seeking more
Metaphor model supports communication, communication is important input to design of information systems.
With reference to software development, process involves models and input to models may come from metaphor models.
Important to validate models are working satisfactorily.