What is interaction design?

Interaction Design 101

Interaction design is a process in which designers focus on creating engaging web interfaces with logical and thought out behaviors and actions. Successful interactive design uses technology and principles of good communication to create desired user experiences.

Interaction design in terms of websites and apps is something we have been talking about for 10 years or so, but those bigger conversations and much never. One of the best and most cited introductions to the concept was published by Bob Baxley in 2002 in a 12-part series that defined interaction design for web applications.

There are TWO type of design
1) Good design
2) Bad design

This is the example of good design

and this is the example of bad design

What to design?

     1) Need to take into account

• Who the users are
• What activities are being carried out
• Where the interaction are taking place

     2) Need to optimize the interaction users have with a product

• So that they match the user's activities and needs

This is the example of novel interface

Understanding user's needs

• Need to take into account what people are good and bad at
• Consider what might help people in the way they currently do things
• Think through what might provide quality user experiences
• Listen to what people want and get them involved 
• Use tried and tested user-centered methods 

Which kind of design?
• Number of other terms used emphasizing what is being designed, e.g.
   – user interface design, software design, user-centered design, product design, web design,           experience design (UX)

• Interaction design is the umbrella term covering all of these aspects
   – fundamental to all disciplines, fields, and approaches concerned with researching and designing computerbased systems for people



HCI and Interaction Design

Relationship between ID, HCI and other fields
• Academic disciplines contributing to ID:
– Psychology
–Social Sciences
–Computing Sciences
– Engineering
– Ergonomics
– Informatics


Relationship between ID, HCI and other fields
• Design practices contributing to ID:
– Graphic design
– Product design
–Artist-design
– Industrial design
– Film industry

Working in multidisciplinary teams

• Many people from different backgrounds involved

• Different perspectives and ways of seeing and talking about things

• Benefits
– more ideas and designs generated

• Disadvantages
– difficult to communicate and progress forward the designs being create


What do professionals do in the ID business?

• Interaction designers 

- People involved in the design of all the interactive aspects of a product

• Usability engineers

- People who focus on evaluating products, using usability methods and principles

• Web Designers

- People who develop and create the visual design of websites, such as layouts

• Information architects

- People who come up with ideas of how to plan and structure interactive products

• User experience designers (UX)

- People who do all the above but who may also carry out field studies to inform the design of products

The Iphone SE

Why is the iphone SE is such a success?

• Quality user experience from the start
• Faster, smooth UI, Simple, elegant, distinct brand, pleasurable, must have fashion item, catchy names, cool, etc.

Usability goals 

• Effective to use 

• Efficient to use 

• Safe to use 

• Have good utility 

• Easy to learn 

• Easy to remember how to use

Design principles 

• Generalizable abstractions for thinking about different aspects of design 

• The do’s and don’ts of interaction design 

• What to provide and what not to provide at the interface 

• Derived from a mix of theory-based knowledge, experience and common-sense