One power of physical objects is the ability to fill the field of view. Even the smallest one can be held up to the face and force the rest of the world out of focus.
Digital spaces are bound by a viewport, so objects must project their full size into the imagination instead.
Digital spaces are bound by a viewport, so objects must project their full size into the imagination instead.
One of the simplest ways they do this is to visibly extend offscreen, like most web pages (this is why thou shalt not fuck with browser scroll behavior) but doing it visually isn't the only way.
One of the aspects of good information architecture is implying the content iceberg.
One of the aspects of good information architecture is implying the content iceberg.
Even though metaphors are ultimately limiting, they are useful to quickly give an impression of depth, through a familiar hook. Like a canned character archetype in a short story, you can get away with "saying" little to sketch the complete outline.
But what if you want to do something new? Then you need to emphasize depth (both metaphorically and literally). A monitor may only be so tall and wide, but the space within is infinitely deep.
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