Interaction design – history

In the late 1980s, Bill Moggridge and Bill Verplank first proposed the tern interactive design. Verplank explained it to the industrial design professions as an altered phrase of the computer science terminology ‘user interface design’. On the other hand, to Moggridge it was an up-gradation process over the then than ‘soft-face’ design.

Interaction design can be defined as the internal behaviors of interactive products. It explains how the functionality of such products interacts with its users. In other words, it describes the behavior of products and systems a user interacts with namely mobile devices, iPods and other electronic gadgets. Nonetheless, it is also applicable even to organizations.

Interaction design also known as IxD, characterizes the behaviors and structure of interactive products and services; and also defines user interactions with those products and services.

The world today is full of omnipresent technology. With the implications of gadgets, electronic devices and machineries everyday life has become easier and simpler. The process that takes place for these devices to work are quite complex. Interaction design makes these complex tasks simple by creating a user friendly outface, otherwise to deal with such number of processes, users would be lost.

The usability and features of an system is improved by first understanding through research the needs of the users and then design in a way so that the needs are met. It is possible for businesses to increase revenue, reduce development costs and satisfy, attract and retain customers with the help of well executed interaction design. The designing of user interface design starts from understanding the requirements of the business, its customers and their needs.

In simple words user interface design is the design of computers, appliances, machines, mobile communication devices, software and websites focusing on the user’s needs, experience and interaction. The primary goal of a user interface design is to make the interaction of the user’s as intuitive as possible.

In summary, interaction design helps to avoid repeated errors, accustom new designers with the existing interaction systems and educate and train the designers.