In issue 92 of Proof of Concept I did a piece about metaphors and allegories. This article covered how you can create metaphors and allegories to discuss really abstract and complex challenges. I made a drawing of a whale to depict Moby Dick, one of the most famous allegories of all time.

Instead of getting frustrated about literalism disrupting the process, find ways to deconstruct it. The reality is developing products is hard, and getting a group of people to have a common language and align on direction is even harder. It’s inevitable that this happens. Metaphors and allegories spark an excellent level of fidelity to building common understanding. Alignment doesn’t happen in one meeting and must be fostered over the course of the product development lifecycle. Let’s look at ways how these figures of speech can be used in the design process.

Original post: https://www.proofofconcept.pub/p/designing-with-metaphors-and-allegories