INTERACTION DESIGN: beyond human-computer interaction, 3rd Edition

Chapter 1

WHAT IS INTERACTION DESIGN?

• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Good and Poor Design
• 1.3 What Is Interaction Design?
• 1.4 The User Experience
• 1.5 The Process of Interaction Design
• 1.6 Interaction Design and the User Experience

Objectives

The main aims of this chapter are to:

• Explain the difference between good and poor interaction design.
• Describe what interaction design is and how it relates to human–computer interaction and other fields.
• Explain the relationship between the user experience and usability.
• Describe what and who is involved in the process of interaction design.
• Outline the different forms of guidance used in interaction design.
• Enable you to evaluate an interactive product and explain what is good and bad about it in terms of the goals and core principles of interaction design.

1.1 Introduction

How many interactive products are there in everyday use? Think for a minute about what you use in a typical day: cell (mobile) phone, computer, remote control, coffee machine, ATM, ticket machine, printer, iPod, calculator, GPS, DVD, computer game … the list is endless. Now think for a minute about how usable they are. How many are actually easy, effortless, and enjoyable to use? Some like the iPod are a joy to use. Others, like the data projector that does not see a person's laptop when connecting it, can be very frustrating. Why is there a difference?

Many products that require users to interact with them, such as smartphones and social networking sites, have been designed ...