Beyond Words: Navigating the Power and Pitfalls of Metaphors in Software Design
DDD Europe - Hands-on Lab
- Speakers
Helen Rapp and Martin Günther
- Date
- Description
This is a hands on lab with limited capacity.
Metaphors are powerful tools that spark creativity, make complex concepts more tangible, and foster shared understanding. This is especially relevant for DDD practitioners, who often work in interdisciplinary teams, tackle complex problems, and communicate innovative solutions. However, metaphors often shape our thinking and actions more than we realize, influencing not only how we communicate but also the decisions we make in domain modeling and software architecture. It's important to recognize that a metaphor, like any model, is a simplification of reality from a particular perspective where it fits well. Decisions based on metaphors may align more closely with the metaphor itself than with the actual situation. Reflecting on how we can consciously use metaphors to our advantage allows us to harness their power effectively and adapt our approaches as needed.
In our interactive workshop, we aim to:
- Understand the influence of metaphors, i.e.how metaphors shape our language and which profound effects metaphors have on our actions and decisions
- Investigate how quickly and easily metaphors can unfold their effects
- Analyze how metaphors impact our modeling processes
- Use our understanding of metaphors to expand and adapt our repertoire of design heuristics
Look forward to a lively mix of theory, practical modeling tasks, joint reflection and exchange of experiences.
About Helen Rapp
Helen is a psychologist and has been supporting teams and organizational units in learning together for several years, for example in the role of an agile coach. She uses her training, her systemic approach, and her experience in designing and facilitating collaborative workshops to make collaboration effective and at eye level. In her work, she pays particular attention to the people in the organization without losing sight of the big picture.
About Martin Günther
Martin has been consulting and supporting companies in the implementation of their software projects as a software architect and agile coach for many years. He always has the big picture in mind, looking for the boundaries that naturally divide the domain into conceptual units in order to build robust and efficient systems from these parts. Additionally, his profound experience in facilitating workshops helps him to accompany groups in their process of gaining insights and decision-making and to enable all team members to interact in an appreciative and effective manner.