mapping-natural

• SKILL.mdcore · 10,013 bytes
• references/spatial-correspondence.mddoc · 7,308 bytes

# Mapping — natural (spatial and physical)

Natural mapping is the form of mapping that requires no learning. The control is positioned where the affected element is, or moves the way the affected element moves, or is shaped like the affected element. The user does not have to think; they reach.

Natural mapping comes in two forms.

**Spatial correspondence.** The control's position in space matches the affected element's position in space. Stove knobs in a 2×2 grid that mirror the burners. The seat-position controls on a Mercedes-Benz, shaped like a tiny seat — push the headrest forward to recline, push the seat back forward to slide forward. A chart legend whose entries appear in the same vertical order as the data lines they describe, so the topmost legend entry corresponds to the topmost line. A row of speaker volume controls arranged left-to-right in the same order as the speakers in the room.

**Physical analogy.** The control's motion or shape corresponds to a physical action whose meaning is universally understood — usually because it mimics gravity, force, or direction. Up = more, down = less. Right = forward in time, left = backward. Clockwise = increase, counterclockwise = decrease (in cultures that read left-to-right; the convention is local but extremely strong). Pinch out = zoom in. Pull a slider toward you = grab and bring closer. These mappings are not innate, but they're embodied — users feel them rather than think them — and breaking them generates immediate confusion that no amount of labeling will fix.

## Recognizing when natural mapping is available

The form factor either supports natural mapping or it doesn't. A four-burner stove with the burners in a 2×2 grid and physical room for knobs in a 2×2 grid: spatial mapping available. A cooktop with knobs along the front edge and burners behind: spatial mapping not directly available; you'll have to weaken to a labeled or angled approximation. A horizontal slider for an inherently vertical quantity (height, depth, intensity from low-to-high): natural mapping mismatched; consider rotating the slider or changing the metaphor.