What is interaction design?
By Mikael Ericsson & Stefan Holmlid

The answer to the question "What is Interaction Design?" is: "Life-long learning!"

In development of interactive information systems a clearly discernible shift in focus in the last few years. The trend goes from cognitive science-based analysis of intended or already produced information systems, towards the design of the intended use of an interactive artifact (e.g., Karat, 1991; Winograd, 1996; Ehn & Löwgren, 1997; Löwgren & Stolterman, 1998). This is mainly due to an increased understanding of short as well as long term economic advantages. Focusing on the systems role, behavior, and appearance from day one, in contrast to having to explain why the system is unusable after delivery, turns out to be cheaper and results in a usable product.

In professional systems development, there is an increasing demand for usability-oriented methods and knowledge. More and more companies, both in Sweden and abroad, form groups with dedicated responsibility for usability and/or Human Factors (see the case studies in Wiklund, 1994). With an increasing graphical content, the current interest in WWW and multimedia publishing, many systems development companies have also made their first contacts with a more traditional design culture through media design and graphic design groups. Systems development lends terminology, knowledge and culture from the design domain.

At design firms, etc., at the same time, there is an increasing demand to develop what could be viewed as information systems. Such firms do not always prioritize usability and intended use of the produced systems, but nevertheless widens their activities into the systems development domain.

In between the two traditions, usability-oriented systems development and design, there definitely is a space. A space where the visual, dynamic, functional and constructional elements of the computer medium meet. There is a need for people with knowledge about the interactive material, about design-oriented approaches in contexts where different process-views and methods meet. These individuals are able to work with design and design visions of the interactive gestalt of the use of an interactive information system. They can act as moderators in multi-disciplinary teams, as facilitators during the design process, as bearers of the overall design vision. We call this interaction design.

Assessment

A lot of the work performed in interaction design concerns creative issues, development of new artefacts, use and experience. However, assessment activities are tantamount to achieving quality-in-use artifacts. The designer must have an understanding of the intended use situation, user, intended tasks and activities and the environment in which all this is to be integrated. Also, in order to assure the value of the artifact in use, and to reflect upon the effects of the work performed, the result (artifact, new tasks, and intended experience) should be assessed or evaluated. Here is where future designers will benefit from using knowledge, techniques and experience that has been developed in the human-computer interaction domain for many years (see, e.g., Hackos & Redish, 1998).

Educating future designers should involve basic training in some of the core HCI methods as well as studies of the central theories about human-computer interaction. By approaching the traditional concept of "usability" (i.e. focusing on work-oriented situations, efficiency and utility) the designer can develop a framework for interpreting and reasoning about use qualities. The literature also provides many good examples and principles that can be used in new design situations, e.g., concerning hypertext readability, the semantics of bi-directional links, efficient visualization techniques, and effective usability assessment methods (ACM, 1992).

The Interactive Material

Developing quality-in-use artifacts in the IT-domain is a complex activity, requiring a lot of knowledge about assessment activities, design activities, etc. Perhaps one of the most difficult tasks in the designers situation is to develop an understanding for the interactive material; to find the potential, the constraints, and inherent features of the raw entity that is to be designed and developed into a quality-in-use artifact. Yet, this is fundamental knowledge when deciding how to approach a design problem, how to design and interpret a use situation, how to select tools, etc (Schön, 1987; Löwgren & Stolterman, 1998).

Building an understanding for the material is not a straightforward task. A central question is – what is the interactive material? Is it the code we are working with – forming into services and experience? Is it the new tasks and activities we design indirectly? Is it "just" the structure and dynamics of an interface? Or is it all of the above? Given the relative novelty of interaction design as an activity, and design-oriented view of systems development, there is little prior work to build upon. The designer must herself develop the understanding and framework for the material by means of continuous reflection in action (see, e.g., Molander, 1996; McMullan, 1994). Hence, the task is not so much to learn about specific aspects of systems development and interface design, but to repeatedly pose the questions "what is the interactive material" and to reflect upon the performed activity and its consequences.

References

ACM (1992). Curricula for human-computer interaction. ACM Press, New York, NY.
Ehn, P., Löwgren, J. (1997). Design for quality-in-use: Human-computer interaction meets information systems development. In Helander, M., Landauer, T., Prabhu, P. (eds.), Handbook of human-computer interaction. Second, completely revised edition, pp. 299-313. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Hackos, J. T. and Redish, J. C. (1998). User and task analysis for interface design. John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY.
Karat, C. (1991). Cost-benefit analysis and business case analysis of usability engineering. Proceedings of ACM CHI'91 Conference (New Orleans, LA, April 28-May 2), Tutorial Notes.
Löwgren, J., Stolterman, E. (1998). Design av informationsteknik – materialet utan egenskaper. Studentlitteratur, Lund.
McMullan, J. (1994). Drawing and Design: An idea whose time has come, again. In Bierut, M. et al (eds.), Looking closer: critical writings on graphic design. Allworthy Press, New York, NY.
Molander, B (1996). Kunskap i handling. Daidalos, G.
Schön, D. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner. Toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions. Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, CA.
Wiklund, M. E. (1994). Usability in practice. How companies develop user-friendly products. AP Professional, Boston, MA.
Winograd, T. A. (1996). Bringing Design to Software. New York: ACM Press.

Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för datavetenskap.
Senast uppdaterad 2003-08-13 av Linda Lidman