/ interaction design objectivity / interaction design subjectivity

/ Veselina Kuznetsova

2010/2011

/ interaction design objectivity / interaction design subjectivity

Veselina Kuznetsova /

declaration of originality
I submitted this document for the exam on 11.02.2011 of the Interaction Design Theory course (Teorie dellinterazione) given by Gillian Crampton Smith with Philip Tabor at the Facolt di Design e Arti, Iuav University of Venice. For all word-sequences which I have copied from other sources, I have: a) reproduced them in italics, and b) placed quotation marks at their start and their end, and c) indicated, for each sequence, the exact page number or webpage URL of the original source. For all images which I have copied from other sources, I have indicated: a) the creator and/or owner of the image, and b) the exact page number or webpage URL of the original source. I declare that all other word-sequences and images in this document were written or created by me alone. 07.02.11

ooklet

index
introduction interaction design affordances and whats now? leaving the museum push save and exit interview prototyping conclusion used fonts and measures 9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 20-29 30-31 32-33

introduction
read it second This column is separated from the basic text for kind jesting at interaction design (ID). For some comments and notes about it as a IUAV discipline and a field of creativity that could seem interesting taking in consideration my still-foreign point of view. The writing style is more liberal and sketchy than in the right column, as far as the most of thoughts are too controversial.

read it first This column contains the main text of the booklet. Even if its out of logic and perception psychology, I advice you always read this booklet starting from the right column. The page subdivision onto objectivity and subjectivity parts could be explained by my wish to represent not only some common topics, criticism of studied books and gathered knowledge of interaction design, but also very personal interpretation of this notion and some observations occured during the IXD theory course (IXD t. c.). Graphic and illustrative approach is supposed to be helpful in understanding some ambiguous topic representation.

Is it really needed some interaction design to facilitate relationship like this?

interaction design : I DrE Am*

based on assignment 1 picture an intelligent ambience

Before I took the IXD t. c. I could hardly imagine what in fact interaction deign is, how much contains this rather new and unclear notion. That time for the best comprehension I needed either some brief but convincing and sufficient definition, or try to be in an interaction designers shoes myself. Then I was to explain my ex-colleagues or indeed some no-common-with-design people what actually I was doing at University and I faced for the first time the trouble of exact definition of interaction design. I started to enumerate some other relevant to interaction design disciplines: web design, digital cervices design, product design... filling myself nevertheless in a deadlock. I wonder: what is sufficient to be innovative in such a slightly developed field: to know almost everything about the notion or almost nothing about it.. Mitsh Kapor said :I feel previleged to be a designer, because people like what I do. I immediately thought about the same phenomenon in cinema, for a movie production is usually hired a great film crew, but when it comes to the distribution, an average viewer manage to memorize only the film-director name. A designer unlike an engineer has a privilege of his own brand development, it is he, whose name will be associated with a product and its design. Now, hearing a word problem I hear another word opportunity, thanks to Moggridge, Suffer, Cramtpon Smith and Tabor.

IXD t. c. assignment picture an intellegent ambience represents an imaginary smart environment, in which a person finds himself in the mourning, waking up process could be facilitated by special sensors fixing the house-owner states changing and behaveing accordingly, estimated future winning and joy of interaction design

Summarizing all the knowledge of interaction design taken from three basic books, I generated my own laconic definition, that unfortunately could seem a repitition of afore-mentioned sources text, nevertheless... Interaction design is a great field of problems or opportunities for every creative person who projects applications, digital services intarfaces and devices to facilitate communication between people. Its neither a scince, nor an art, but a discipline, which progressive methods are strongly based on constraints overcoming and work-in-group ideas generating. Its supposed to be born from synthesis of product design and communication design. The power of this yet slightly spread design branch is unbelievable: good interaction design brings pleasure and satisfaction, while bad interaction design can cause even a catastrophe. Interaction designers uses as their creative platforms computers, mobile devices, adding buttons, sensors, chips, screens, prototyping all af it before the production stage, thei untangiable tools are world wide web, bits, different kinds of digital data, programming languages etc. ID motive power is often some really wild ideas, came from unconscious not in the least right moment, or on the contrary in a special stressing situation of brainstorming that provokes superquantity of thoughts and reflections. At the early phases of an interaction design product development there must be some space and time dedicated to dreaming, because later a creative team needs to be very concrete in a final idea design realization. * Ideas are like dreams until they are visualized into some concrete representation.

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affordances: vandal paradise*

based on assignment 2 hunt for affordances

My observation as a regular custumer of Trenitalia: some people have difficulty to understand how to open an electronic door in new italian trains, they dont notice a small button put on the right part of the wall, may be because the doors have an indented handle ... When you face some bad affordance in a public place, and dont know how to continue with an evil device, for example buying tickets via a fast-ticket electronic service with a long queue behing you, it brings you discomfort or even confusion. For a designer always exists a great temptation of sacrificing good affordance to fetching and quirky appearance design, but he must think about what is a goal of certain product or service designing.

Bill Moggridge told in his tenth chapter about increasing complexity referring himself to the interaction design discipline. The phenomenon of increasing complexity could be also applied to nowadays life where a person tries some kind of information attack. In this circumstances useful devices and services surrouning us need to be minimalistic in their design, in their interaction design. Thats why it is so important to contemplate affordance making a good design. Affordance is a property or quality of an artefact or an object to show immediately how it is supposed to be used correctly. The usage of an artefact should be evident at at first glance, it should have minimum of notes and instructions for less spending of users priceless time. Good affordance is conditioned not only by obejects appearence, but also by such qualities as weight, surface texture etc. According to explanations of some interaction design pioneers affordance is always connected with either instinct or intuition or experience. The best affordance examples like cutlery came from deep antiquity and have no chance of being mistaken, whereas a panel with bad-placed buttons and lights causes at least perplexity. Dan Saffer in his books third chapter mentions some ID rules, there is also a description of the great principle of poka-yoke, when some things could be used just in a single way with no alternatives, mistakes are forseen. It always works, but especially is useful in designing for emergency services, where interface or dashboard design helps make a rapid decision in peoples lifesaving. * Don Norman described the affordance of an object as an invitation for its using. Or in some cases for its breaking.

an example of fake or false affordanceh : a chest of drawers or only seems to be it?

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And whats now?*

based on assignment 3 design a coffee dispenser interaction

What think an interaction designer woking up in the morning? Of a coffee dispenser of his dream? Noooo, of a device that immediately kills his alarm-device.

< < < IXD t. c. assignment design a coffee dispenser interaction: my attempt of exhisting dispensers improvement may be possible in future; top: a big and beautiful coffee dispenser, with almost the same system, that has an average coffee dispenser of our time, no innovation, plain design; bottom: an imagery mental interaction between a user and a coffee dispenser of the future

* This kind of question during use of some device or interface could already be a sign of fiasco of the interaction designer who has projected it. Making storyboards and flowcharts is always the best way to understand what happens after what and where is a risk of sidetrack in the process of using a service or an application. Storyboard traditionally is used in cinematography for frames sequence planning and also could resolve some key problems in interaction design projecting and help to share the idea-of-device-using not only with collegues, but also with clients on a certain stage of developing. Flowcharts insead are more helpful for interaction designers themselves, because give them possibility of overviewing the whole situation of interaction. Registration of possible variants of inputs and outputs on some squares or other figures put in a vertical logic row is an effective way of information structuring. Sometimes an interaction designer needs to create incredibly complicated interface for specific professional use, here he face another problem of not having enuogh knowledge in the field. On the other hand, there is an advantage that hes making a system for very close circle of users, so he doesent have to forsee so much rules exclusions. Today tendency of increasing complexity is also right for devices, where the number of functions sometimes is hardly believable than its size and buttons number.This phenomenon, distinguished also by Don Norman, sometimes comes to entire absurdity: do you really need a coffee-grinder with a wireless internet connection?

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leaving the museum push Save and Exit *

based on assignment 4 design a metaphor of your money

< < < IXD t. c. assignment design a metaphor of your money: an assigment subject of investigation was a young man who works in an advertisment field and also owns a little hostel, his budget incomes and outgoes are marked as in and out and categorized by stability level and importance.

Several decades ago engineers can hardly imagine the possibility of computers what were using today. First computers, huge and complex, were created only for being used by those who worked in this field. In spite of the fact that the computer developing of that time went with great strides, there was no talk about convenience for an average user, all the more about attractive design. First steps in adaptation of computers to non-computer-engineering users made Tim Mott with Larry Tesler projecting a desktop. Bill Moggridge describes in his book the process of desctop idea development, while Norman focuses on the conceptional models theory. Desktop was created more for office-working people, that is why the only right conceprtional model for it was office itself as a great system full of certain rules and functions. So, as far as conceptual models are ideas of what a system looks like immaginated by certain person, the final product is always a brainchild of both designer and user, despite of common illusion of its single authorship. Or better still, its the user who finally has a prerogative in product design establishing, especially reguarding interaction designs made according to the user-centered-design approach. Mental or conceptual models are usually influenced by our own experience, and more similarities have conceptual models of a designer and a user in common, better interaction desing is. * metaphorical interpretation of an announcement on exit door for the museum staff leaving the museum turn off the light

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indispensable*
based on assignment 6 intervew someone you know

*My family (and incrediable number of other separated families all over the world) will always be greatful blessing continuously the estonish developers, who created unique accessible application for voice calls over the Internet, thereby made possible connections on a distance, and thus some illusion of presence. Long-term absence at home is no longer so traumatic. Even if it sounds ironically, the application that really merits my special thanks in nomination indispensable is skype. Ive noticed that many people yet rely their affair list on paper, not on some progressive application.

Andrey Kuznetsov, 49 y. old, from Saint petersburg, Russia, director of the nucler physics department, head of applied rhysics laboratory and the chief technical officer in Apstec Ltd. since he had 25 regularly goes abroad in business trips

Dan Saffer in his second chapter of Designing for interaction distinguishes four interaction design approaches. One of them is a usercentred design approach(UCD), means that every interaction designer must make a research interviewing its probable user or group of users and observing them behaving in the ambience where actually a new design is to be applied. UCD is a prevalent method of designing, it is in practice since 80s, when computer engineers managed to create an operating system possible to be learned by an average person. In case of UCD all interaction desing project always bases on users requirements. Its usually quite effective, if only there isnt too large group of users very different between themselves. Also there is a possibility of some approaches synthesis, user-centred is often connected with another: an activity-centered design approach. Indeed, a person always use a device or a system inseparably with his activity. An interaction designers goal is to reveal not only interviewees opinion on how could be improved all exhisting similar products, but may be also his own design developing suggestions. As a beginner at interaction design and a real adherent of new technologies I inteviewed a required person via skype. This man, by virtue of his profession, make at least three business trips in a month, realizing also managenemt of a laboratory. Its evident immediately that all this travels make him tired sometimes, he waits everything being wllorganized and always follow a plan, but doesent trust an electronic applicaion on his PDA (personal digital assistant), and yet has a simple paper personal organiser. Towards the word design he have a bit ironic attitude, as a real scientist, who thinks about apppearence at the last moment, if thinks. He needs some very effective and certainly mobile device, or better application for his own device or computer, to organize him even better as a conference participant. May be an application of conference-experience sharing... Another his remark during the talk seemed me very curious, he said that he always has a difficulty of name memorizing, but sa far as in a science field at conferences go the same persons he need to greet them, but he never manage to juxtapose familiar faces with names memorized. He passionatly gesticulated while describing this and on that moment I understood that is THE MOMENT

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prototyping

IXD theory course assignment materials, including corporate image development and paper prototype, a little progect of a mobile device allowing people to find a restaurant in the city of Venice

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>>>

prototyping
When an interaction designer is on a start line with a project he confronts difficulties of constraints definition. On this stage he must be able not so much to create immediately a design solution, as to formulate directing questions and ask it primarily to himself. This, mostly wh-questions, are very important and its formulating often results to be more useful than answering. Once inquired and recorded, this issues let a designer overview the whole situation of a project, helping him clarify his further goals. > > >

*My family (and incrediable number

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prototyping
Then a creative individual must courage and memorize all tools, approaches and elements of the design process including information collecting, design research, synthesis, fast ideas generating: brainstorming, ideas strict selection, concept and sequence of functions visualization methods: storyboard, flowchart, skript or wireframe, and after all : prototyping. Its abuot testing any aspect of the way a design is expected to work. (p.734 Bill Moggridge Designing interactions) Prototypes could be visually very different, physical and also digital, depends on what interaction design focuses. This phase is very important, its pre-production and almost last chance to make alterations, the opportuniy of succeccful testing and convincing presentation. Nevertheless there is risk of been carried away by a prototype creating and loose too much time on its developing, thats why it must be a balance between totally thought-out prototype, that seems product itself, and completely raw one, that have no project rappresentation quality.

Finally appears an opportunity of making something by hands. Quick and dirty is an ID term used for describing a fast prototype creation, although it sounds a little bit confusing.h

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prototyping
*My family (and incrediable number

After prototyping a designing team make evaluation, trying to exclude their already formed personal attitude towards a project and to make a fresh look at everything. The last stage is the pass sentence, but before its done on every level of development process could be loops and returns to previous stages, and it doesent means that something goes wrong, on the contrary It shows normal course of things in interaction designing.

Ive noticed that many people yet rely their affair list on paper, not on some progressive application.

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prototyping +
*My family (and incrediable number

Dan Saffer (p. 30) in his second chapter of Designing for interac

Ive noticed that many people yet rely their affair list on paper, not on some progressive application.

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ciao, ID, e a presto

Several decades ago engineers can hardly imagine the possibility of computers what were using today. First computers, huge and complex, were created only for being used by those who worked in this field. In spite of computer

Several decades ago engineers can hardly imagine the possibility of computers what were using today. First computers, huge and complex, were created only for being used by those who worked in this field. In spite of computer developing hthat time went with great strides, there was no talk about convenience for an average user, all the more about attractive design. First steps in adaptation of computers to non-computer-engineering users made Tim Mott with Larry Tesler have being projected a desktop. Moggridge (p.19, 53) describes the process of desctop idea developing, while Norman focuses on the conceptional models theory. But its everything about the system developing, where one taken users mental model needs being wellstudied. Desktop was created more for office-working people, that is why the only right con

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fonts & sources

I submitted this document for the exam on 07.02.2011 of the Interaction Design Theory course (Teorie dellinterazione) given by Gillian Crampton Smith with Philip Tabor at the Facolt di Design e Arti, Iuav University of Venice. For all word-sequences which I have copied from other sources, I have: a) reproduced them in italics, and b) placed quotation marks at their start and their end, and c) indicated, for each sequence, the exact page number or webpage URL of the original source. For all images which I have copied from other sources, I have indicated:

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