IxD - Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interface. This draft was released March 15, 2006. Please email comments to bret worrydream.com. You can also download the PDF. Information Software and the Graphical Interface by Bret Victor Abstract #The ubiquity of frustrating, unhelpful software interfaces has motivated decades of research into “Human-Computer Interaction.” #Information software design can be seen as the design of context-sensitive information graphics.
#Although this paper presents a number of concrete design and engineering ideas, the larger intent is to introduce a “unified theory” of information software design, and provide inspiration and direction for progressive designers who suspect that the world of software isn’t as flat as they’ve been told. Scope and terminology #“Software,” as used here, refers to user-facing personal desktop software, whether on a native or web platform.
Of software and sorcery #A computational process is indeed much like a sorcerer’s idea of a spirit. #This is a software crisis, and it isn’t news. IxD - Complete Beginner’s Guide to Interaction Design. Web design has followed a long and winding road from it’s rather modest beginnings. Initially, the term “web designer,” described something much more akin to that of a graphic designer: a designer who concerns themselves with the presentation of text and pictures. Today, however, the majority of websites and applications online are interactive. In turn, modern web designers are called upon to make a number of considerations drastically different than those made by traditional graphic designers. To bridge this gap, we call upon the discipline of interaction design. This article serves as a good jumping off point for people interested in learning more about Interaction Design.
What is Interaction Design? Interaction design got its start only a few decades ago when the first interactive systems made their debut. The Interaction Design Association (IxDA) explains: Interaction designers strive to create useful and usable products and services. IxDA What concepts drive IxD? Goal-driven design. IxD - Software ≠ Interactive Design — AIGA | the professional association for design. IxD - Interaction 11 Recap. By David Sherwin - February 21, 2011 In early February, a number of frogs attended this year's Interaction 11 conference, sponsored by the Interaction Design Association (IxDA). Our time in Boulder began with a fresh blanket of snow and ended with all-you-could-drink absinthe at the closing night party. In my contribution for the conference, I taught a three-hour workshop called "Better Ideas Faster: Effective Brainstorming for Interaction," which focused on the unique tools and techniques that interaction designers bring to bear in translating research findings into actionable design concepts that cohere into large-scale systems.
This year's conference has been hard for me to summarize—not because of the absinthe, mind you—and in combing through my notes and reflecting on the experience, more questions have emerged than coherent themes. Here are some of the reasons why I think this instability has come about. Talent from lateral disciplines are providing us with much-needed perspective. IxD - User Experience and Experience Design. IxD - The Cooper Journal: So You Want To Be An Interaction Designer. We get a lot of email from students and usability professionals asking how one goes about becoming an interaction designer, and what background one needs to get into the field. What are good interaction design programs? What real-world skills and experience are required?
What, exactly, do interaction designers do on a day-to-day basis? Pursuing academic training The first thing to keep in mind is that interaction design is a new discipline that is still being defined in the academic setting. There are only a few institutions in the world offering degree programs specifically in "interaction design," and while their curricula share similarities, they are by no means standardized (which may very well be a good thing).
There isn’t agreement (though this is happily beginning to change) in the academic community about what the core elements of an interaction design curriculum might be, or how to approach the teaching of that curriculum. How is interaction design different? Other paths. IxD - Core77 - Interaction Design and ID: You're alreay doing it...don't you want to knowwhat it's all about? Interaction Design and ID: You're already doing it...don't you want to know what it's all about? By David Malouf Today, more and more industrial designers are being asked to design products and systems that incorporate interactive components. And since the level of complexity increases exponentially as a product gains more digital intelligence, a new kind of expertise is needed. Further, if we look at the classical foundational elements of industrial design, there is almost no reference to anything dealing with behavior—color, texture, shape, volume, space, and line remain the primary "building blocks" of a formal industrial design education.
Beyond this foundation, ID as a historical design discipline has until very recently concentrated more on the balance of function and form only as they relate to visceral, visual aesthetics. But lately, "product design" education has steered industrial design programs to consider "context of use" as a core data set in guiding function and form. DESIGN - LukeW Ideation + Design | Writings on Digital Product Strategy & Design. Publications on the critical details and big picture behind digital product design. LukeW's 13 years of writing cover Web and device strategy, interaction design, visual design, usability, and much more. April, 2014 March, 2014 February, 2014 January, 2014 Customizing Help & Tips By Input Type January 13, 2014 December, 2013 November, 2013 October, 2013 September, 2013 August, 2013 July, 2013 June, 2013 May, 2013 April, 2013 March, 2013 February, 2013 January, 2013 December, 2012 November, 2012 October, 2012 September, 2012 August, 2012 July, 2012 June, 2012 May, 2012 April, 2012 March, 2012 February, 2012 January, 2012 December, 2011 November, 2011 October, 2011 September, 2011 August, 2011 July, 2011 June, 2011 May, 2011 April, 2011 March, 2011 February, 2011 January, 2011 December, 2010 November, 2010 October, 2010 September, 2010 August, 2010 July, 2010 June, 2010 May, 2010 April, 2010 March, 2010 February, 2010 January, 2010 December, 2009 November, 2009 October, 2009 September, 2009 August, 2009 July, 2009 June, 2009 May, 2009 April, 2009.