Interaction design
Interaction design is a field within computer science focused on the relationship between users and digital technologies, including software and hardware. It emphasizes the importance of creating enjoyable and efficient user experiences, recognizing that technology should not only fulfill tasks but also engage users positively. Originating in the early 1980s, the concept gained traction with pioneers like Bill Moggridge, who advocated for a human-centered approach to design. This approach seeks input from various disciplines, including ergonomics, anthropology, and psychology, to ensure that technology meets the needs and expectations of users.
The scope of interaction design encompasses a wide range of elements, such as screen layouts, keyboard responsiveness, visual enhancements, and accessibility in web design. Its ultimate goal is to predict user interactions and address potential issues, crafting a seamless and stress-free experience. As technology continues to evolve, interaction design remains a critical discipline in ensuring that digital tools are not only functional but also enjoyable for diverse users.
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Interaction design
In computer science, interaction design refers to the relationship between machines and software programs and the people who use them. Ironically, one of the most involved—and revolutionary—concepts of the computer age rests on a premise fundamental to technology since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution: people and their machines must interact, and the people who use technology not only want the reward of having their labor-intensive tasks lightened but also want to enjoy that interaction. Introducing the human factor into complex computer-technology design—which encompasses the design not only of software but also of the range of devices that make possible the execution of that software, the far-ranging digital environment that sustains the user experience, and ultimately the network of services, programmers, and technical assistance that makes possible the long-term adaptability and application of such systems—is at the heart of interaction design and the related field of human-computer interaction.
Overview
The principle of factoring in the human experience of computer technology emerged in the early 1980s. The earnest embrace of computer-science innovation in the postwar technology climate created a generation of revolutionary computer designs that defined a radical new age in information systems and data retrieval. That first generation of computer design was necessarily driven by engineers and technicians in the burgeoning field of computer science who approached software design and machine development as solutions to specific industrial needs (it was, after all, decades before the personal computer). Shaped by the need to respond to a set of conditions, these first-generation designs performed specific tasks, useful products perceived as extensions of the services they provided.
In the early 1980s, the visionary British computer designer Bill Moggridge (1943–2012) first proposed a more human-centered approach to computer design. Computers were machines, yes, but machines that interacted with people on a variety of intimate levels, and Moggridge believed that computer design needed not only to address program-specific problems but also to anticipate the needs and experiences of the people who would be using them. Moggridge proposed that in addition to factoring in the expertise of software developers, design creation needed creative input from ergonomic engineers, anthropologists, artists, and psychologists to design systems, programs, and products that would make human-computer interaction not only functional and efficient but pleasing and even fun. Few innovations in the field of computer design better suggest interaction design than Moggridge’s own pioneering design of the first laptop, the now-familiar clamshell design that with a hinged screen that folds down over top of the keyboard.
Interaction design factors into a variety of aspects of digital-device design, including screen dimensions, keyboard touch and response, lighting and visual enhancement, and screen angles. In web design, it accounts for accessibility and user-friendly features. In its widest applications, interaction design works to predict potential interaction defaults and how to best respond to user problems in order to make the experience of technology stress-free.
Bibliography
Anderson, Stephen P. Seductive Interaction Design: Creating Playful, Fun, and Effective User Experiences. Berkeley: New Riders, 2011. Print.
Buxton, Bill. Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design. San Francisco: Morgan, 2007. Print.
Moggridge, Bill. Designing Interactions. Cambridge: MIT P, 2007. Print.
Pannafino, James. Interdisciplinary Interaction Design: A Visual Guide to Basic Theories, Models and Ideas for Thinking and Designing for Interaction Web Design and Digital Device Experiences. Lancaster: Assiduous, 2012. Print.
Pratt, Andy, and Jason Nunes. Interactive Design: An Introduction to the Theory and Application of User-Centered Design. Beverly: Rockport, 2012. Print.
Preece, Jenny, Yvonne Rogers, and Helen Sharp. Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. 4th ed. Hoboken: Wiley, 2015. Print.