Introduction to Interaction Design Course

Understanding Interaction

• Interaction design course introduction
• Overview of core concepts in interaction design

Overview

• Starting point for design
• Understanding the problem space is crucial for interaction design
• Conceptual models
• Metaphors
• Interaction types

Where do we start from?

• Begin by considering the existing media sharing apps, focusing on safety, efficiency, and enjoyment
• Sketch possible UI designs
• Evaluate existing architecture and structure
• Analyze user experiences and existing media tools/apps
• Reflect on the identified information and potentially developing your design based on this data
• A "better" method to begin: Understand user requirements/experiences and study existing tools first. This saves both time and money

Where do we start from? (continued)

• Early conceptual ideas can be modified easily; code-related designs are harder to change
• This will be discussed further in the prototyping lecture

Where do we start from? (continued)

• Start coding immediately is tempting but can exclude crucial design principles
• It is more efficient to rethink and redesign before coding
• Time cost of rethinking/redesigning is less than the time/money loss of initial coding mistakes

Problem Space

• Problem space is a process for defining/understanding the problem before designing solutions
• It's not a physical space but an abstract process that informs solutions
• Steps in the cyclical problem space definition: discovery, definition, learn, hypothesize, test, design, and delivery
• Problem space involves defining problems before forming solutions for a system
• It is important to identify technologies, and user experience

Problem Space (continued)

• Define technologies and design physical aspects after problem articulation
• Prioritize understanding and conceptualizing user experience improvement

Problem Space (continued)

• Understanding usability and user experience goals is key to defining the problem space
• Identifying and understanding the involved technologies
• Defining any assumptions/claims

Note: Claims and Assumptions

• Assumptions: Accepting facts as true without testing (e.g., "people want to watch TV in the car")
• Claims: Asserting something is true, but it may still be open to question (e.g., "using speech to control GPS while driving is safe")

Problem Space (further)

• Problem space articulation happens within a team
• Inputting a range of perspectives (e.g., project managers, software engineers) is helpful
• Important to balance time spent in early understanding and problem space definition to ensure design fits team constraints and budgetary constraints
• Reflection can help team understanding/agreement

Problem Space Framework

• Questions to help define the problem space
• Existing product/user experience issues. Why?
• How can the proposed designs address/overcome these?
• Design ideas if no existing major problems with current user experience: how do the ideas support, change, or extend the current processes

Example - Class Activity

• High rates of inactivity/obesity in children
• "Exergaming" (active video games) as a potential solution
• Defining the problem space: Defining what the problem space is regarding children's activity levels and gaming activity is key to understanding the next steps in the design process, and this step is essential to determining if exercise gaming is the best way to increase activity engagement
• Identifying children's current exercise habits and gaming experiences
• Considering social/cultural/technological factors
• How design ideas support/change/extend existing activities
• Design ideas for improving/creating exercise focused gaming

Example - Class Activity (continued)

• Improving existing technology to motivate/encourage primary school-aged children for increased exercise
• Creating new kinds of interactive technology to encourage children, and its potential

Example 2 – Class Activity

• Effects of technology on user experience
• Historical user experience of watching TV (e.g., 1970s/80s)
• Modern TV viewing experience
• Defining problem space for each era

From problem space to design

• Understanding the problem space guides design decisions
• Generate research questions (e.g., interface types, behaviours, functionalities)
• Development of a conceptual model needs to occur before solidifying these design decisions

Conceptualise the design space

• Determining the best approaches for visual representation of the design space
• Conceptual model for the proposed solution relative to the user
• Advantages of effective conceptualization:
• Guide team by creating focus on targeted areas
• Explore diverse ideas to help solve issues/problems (open-mindedness)
• Establish common terms to avoid confusions

Conceptual Models

• Simplified representation of a system to aid understanding and explanation of processes
• High-level description of system organization and functionality
• Abstraction of user interactions/capabilities within a product
• Aims to ensure designers have a clear understanding of the design/product before building the code

Conceptual Models (continued)

• Conceptual model provides guidance/structure, interrelations between ideas
• Metaphors/analogies are tools for conceptualisation/understanding what the product does.
• Visualize the task/interface using examples e.g., desktop metaphor, shopping cart metaphor

Conceptual Models (continued)

• Focus on aspects exposed in the product for users like attributes, data, and potential actions
• Emphasize relationships between different elements/components
• Demonstrate connections between concepts and desired user experience (e.g., finding a file, sorting)

Conceptual Model - Desktop

Issues with metaphors

• Potential violations of conventions/cultural expectations in some metaphors (e.g., placing recycle bin on desktop)
• Metaphors can limit the flexibility/creativity of the design
• Reusing/transposing flaws/downfalls from earlier designs can be an issue
• Designers limited by their design choices/metaphors

Interaction types

• Five key types of interaction: instructing, conversing, manipulating, exploring, responding to guide/shape interactions within a product
• Each type has specifics like commands, questions, interactions with objects in physical/virtual space, and initiating product responses

Interaction Types (continued)

• Which method is the "best" will hinge greatly on the problem space, given the interplay between the task/system and the user
• Careful mix/match is required for most designs

More factors to consider

• Paradigms: Principles/approaches adopted by a community (e.g., from WIMP to GUI)
• Utopian/dystopian visions in relation to technology and human interaction:
• Vision of how technology may change human life: easier/worse depending on societal perspectives/goals
• Various relevant theories from other fields and areas
• Models based on theories to explain user interaction
• Frameworks that help constrain the design scope/user experience

This quiz serves as an introduction to the core concepts of interaction design. It covers the essential aspects of starting the design process, understanding user requirements, and evaluating existing tools. Prepare to explore conceptual models, interaction types, and the importance of user experience.