{"id":286,"date":"2021-07-12T17:28:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-12T17:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.infragistics.com\/blogs\/?p=286"},"modified":"2025-02-19T13:45:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T13:45:44","slug":"what-is-interaction-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infragistics.com\/blogs\/what-is-interaction-design","title":{"rendered":"What is Interaction Design and Why Does it Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is interaction design and what is the interaction design process? How does it compare to UX? Well, this article will provide the answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Interaction Design?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Interaction design (also referred to as IxD) is the practice of designing the interactions between users and products. Most often when people talk about interaction design, the products tend to be software products like apps or websites. The goal of interaction design is to create products that enable the user to achieve their objective(s) in the best way possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this definition sounds broad, that\u2019s because the field is <\/em>broad: the interaction between a user and a product often involves elements like aesthetics<\/a>, motion, sound, space, and many more. And of course, each of these elements can involve even more specialized fields, like sound design for the crafting of sounds used in user interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the questions an interaction designer thinks about include: Is the product behavior predictable, expected, and usable? Can our users accomplish their goals without many steps or much conscious effort? Of course, many UX designers these days are responsible for handling the interaction design of the products they work on as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"What<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How Does Interaction Design Differ from UX Design?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you may already realize, there is a huge overlap between interaction design and UX design. After all, UX design is about shaping the experience of using a product, and most of that experience involves some interaction<\/em> between the user and the product. But UX design is more than interaction design: it also involves user research<\/a> (finding out who the users are in the first place), creating user personas<\/a> (why, and under what conditions, would they use the product), performing user testing<\/a> and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Interaction<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Interaction design is one element of the broader umbrella of UX design.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interaction designers, on the other hand, are focused on the moment when a user interacts with a product and their goal is to improve the interactive experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, have you ever been frustrated by a TV remote that did not make sense, or a doorknob that was terrible to use? How about downloading an app and having no idea how to get started? Those are the issues caused by a poor understanding of interaction design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For UX designers, the moment of interaction is just a part of the journey that a user goes through when they interact with a product. User experience design accounts for all user-facing aspects of a product or system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UX design and interaction design are connected but it is nearly impossible to create good interaction design in isolation of UX. Interaction design is a spoke in the umbrella of user experience (UX design).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is Interaction Design Important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Designing a great interaction experience has become increasingly important in our digital world. As mentioned above, it can be as simple as the interactions users have with a TV remote or a complex piece of software. In a hyper-competitive market, for example, smart tech brands know that a simple or elegant interaction with their software or device leaves a user satisfied \u2014 or even delighted! Do you remember the first time you used an iPhone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how Steve Jobs of Apple approached design interaction:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDesign is not just what it looks like and feels like, design is how it works.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This famous quote from Steve Job stresses the importance of having good interaction design \u2013 the user\u2019s overall experience and satisfaction with a product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interaction Design Principles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Mantra Labs<\/a>, a cognitive Solutions company, the 10 most important interaction design principles are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. UX<\/strong>: Match user experience and expectations<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Consistent design<\/strong>: Maintain consistency throughout the application<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Functionality<\/strong>: Follow functional minimalism<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Cognition<\/strong>: Reduce cognitive loads\/mental pressure to understand the application<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Engagement<\/strong>: Design interactively such that it keeps the user engaged.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. User control<\/strong>: Allow the user to control, trust, and explore<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Perceivability<\/strong>: Invite interactions through intuitions and interactive media<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Learnability<\/strong>: Make user interactions easy to learn and remember<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Error handling<\/strong>: Take care to prevent errors if they occur make sure to detect and recover them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Affordability<\/strong>: Simulate actions by taking inspiration from usual and physical world interactions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Interaction Design Process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThe designer does not begin with some preconceived idea. Rather, the idea is the result of careful study and observation, and the design a product of that idea.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    -Paul Rand, famous graphic designer and art director<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here are the five stages that the IxD process typically involves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Find the users\u2019 needs\/wants<\/strong>\u2014It is easy to assume you know what users want\/need and their relevant contexts. Discover their real<\/em> requirements:\n
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      1. Observe people<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Interview people<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Examine existing solutions<\/strong>\u2014While remembering it is hard to envisage future needs, technologies, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Do an analysis to sort and order your findings so they make sense<\/strong>. This may be through a:\n