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To get started, let's consider the definition of Interaction Design and how it relates to the User Experience.
New Terms:
- Interaction Design: “Interaction Design is the creation of a dialogue between a person and a product, system, or service. This dialogue is both physical and emotional in nature and is manifested in the interplay between form, function, and technology as experienced over time.” - John Kolko
- The Media Equation: The theory that people tend to treat computers as if they were either real people or real places
Further Reading:
- The Media Equation: How People Treat Computers, Television, and New Media Like Real People and Places by Byron Reeves and Clifford Nass
- Designing Interfaces by Jenifer Tidwell, Charles Brewer, and Aynne Valencia-Brooks
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[MUSIC]
0:00
Hi, my name is Hope and
I'm a product designer at Treehouse.
0:09
In this course,
0:14
I'll teach you about interaction design,
which is commonly abbreviated as IXD.
0:15
We'll take a look at the theories and
0:21
then apply them practically
in a design program.
0:23
First up, what is interaction design?
0:27
Well, it's a subset of user experience.
0:30
While user experience is a comprehensive
look at the entire user journey,
0:32
interaction design focuses on
the interactive experience.
0:39
Let's take a look at how Jon Kolko,
0:43
the author of Thoughts on
Interaction Design defines it.
0:45
Interaction design is the creation
of a dialogue between a person and
0:50
a product, system or service.
0:54
The dialogue is both physical and
emotional in nature.
0:57
And as manifested in the interplay
between form, function, and
1:02
technology, as experienced over time.
1:06
You can think of it as the relationship
between a person and a product.
1:10
As people interact with the product,
there's a back and forth conversation.
1:15
In the book Designing Interfaces,
the authors
1:21
described the exchange of information
between the person and the software.
1:24
The person expects continuous feedback
that their actions are being acted upon,
1:29
and their needs are being met.
1:34
This feedback loop forms a substantial
part of the user experience.
1:37
Generally, we wanna make that
conversation as smooth as possible.
1:42
In the 90s, researchers at
Stanford University discovered that people
1:48
tend to treat computers as if they were
either real people or real places.
1:52
This is called the media equation.
1:57
Following that logic, humans expect
digital products to be human like.
2:02
As designers we want to create
a natural human like conversation,
2:07
anticipate needs, and exceed expectations.
2:12
Think of a time you were mad at your
computer for shutting down unexpectedly.
2:16
Or at time a printer continuously claimed
there was a paper jam that you just
2:21
couldn't find.
2:25
And then spontaneously started printing
2:27
after you simply jiggle
the paper tray a bit.
2:30
You probably got annoyed, how rude of
their printer to behave like that?
2:32
When products fail us we
have an emotional response.
2:36
It's as if the inanimate object
has broken our trust, and
2:40
our relationship with it is fractured.
2:44
It's moments like these where
the fundamentals of interaction design
2:48
enable us to empathize with the user, and
2:52
preemptively designed solutions that
prevent frustration and broken trust.
2:55
In the next video,
3:00
I'll introduce the five dimensions that
form the foundation of interaction design.
3:01
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