This study proposed a practical metaphor development process that consisted of three steps: 1) identifying major functions, 2) developing metaphor candidates, and 3) evaluating appropriateness of the candidates. In the first step, a total of 27 functions might be implemented in a driver information system (DIS) in the near future. Then, three metaphor candidates were selected from existing metaphors, which were reported to be more practical than others by previous studies. Finally, the candidates were evaluated on their appropriateness for driver information systems by using a quick and simple survey. As a result, two metaphors (a PC and a secretary) were identified as the most appropriate ones. The two metaphors can be used to design a variety of interfaces and interactions for driver information systems. In addition, the development process proposed in this study could be applied to developing metaphors for emerging devices with a variety of functions (e.g. PMPs, MP3s, and electronic dictionaries) as well as driver information systems.