Introduction to Interaction Design
On this page 4 headings
01. Why interface design matters
THINK Can you think of experiences where you have been left frustrated by the user interface of a website or an app? Pause and write down your responses before reading further.
Most user stories require a user interface (UI) that implements the feature. The UI is the interaction point between the user and the system — web pages with buttons, text fields, navigation etc. The form of the product is what the user sees first, and only then its functionality; if the interface is not appealing or intuitive, users will reject it or find it extremely cumbersome. The key idea is to give the user a good experience: easy to use, easy to learn, not confusing.
What frustrates users: cluttered layout, no hierarchy, no navigation, poor typography, random use of colours, slow load time, too many ads, inconsistent colour scheme.
02. The user interface is the interaction point
The UI is the interaction point between the user and the system.
In software companies, roles such as interaction designers and UX/UI developers look at these aspects. Interaction design means designing interactive products to support people in their everyday working lives.
03. Four activities of interaction design
Four activities of interaction design
Identifying needs and requirements
Developing alternative designs that meet those requirements
Building interactive versions
Evaluating
This is similar to the Agile process, because both keep the user at the centre of creating the product. Techniques for developing alternative designs include storyboarding and paper prototyping.
04. Design in everyday objects and software
Ordinary everyday objects have gone through several rounds of discussion and deliberation to arrive at their final design. The illustration shows design decisions about a desk lamp, a drinking glass and a table.