TME3423/TMI3053/TMS3843/TMT3683

Human Computer Interaction

Unit 2: Interaction Design – Basic Introduction

Part 1: Introduction to Interaction
What is Interaction?
Interaction Types
 Topics
 What is interaction?
 Interaction types
 The process of interaction design
 Approaches to interaction design
 Who is involved in interaction design
 Conceptualizing interaction
 Conceptual models

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Adapted from Interaction Design Beyond Human Computer Interaction 5 th Edition (Sharp et al, 2019)
 What is interaction?
 Interaction is the dialogue between a user and a product (system/app)

 It is both physical and emotional in nature

 It is manifested in the interplay between form, function, and technology as

experienced over time

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Source: https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/principles/human-computer-interaction/what-is-interaction-design/
Interaction types
 “An interaction is a transaction between 2 entities, typically in exchange of
information. It takes place between people, machines, and systems, in a
variety of combination.” – (Dan Saffer, 2017)

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Interaction types
 The ways a user interacts with a product/application

 5 types:

instructing conversing

manipulating exploring

responding

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Interaction types – instructing
 User issue instructions to the system

 Examples: Type in commands, select option from menu, press buttons

 Benefit: the interaction is quick and efficient

 Suitable for when there is a need to frequently repeat actions (e.g. save,
delete)

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Interaction types – instructing

Save document

Vending machine Touchscreen gestures

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Interaction types – conversing
 User has a conversation with the system via an interface or type in the
questions

 System will reply via text or speech output

 Examples:
 User talks/types to system in single word/phrase/number
 AI powered systems – user can talk to the system as if it were another person

 The difference between conversing vs. instructing is

 conversing is a 2-way communication process (the system replies)
 instructing is 1 way only (the system obeys)

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Interaction types – conversing

Apple’s Siri

AirAsia’s Virtual Allstar (AVA) Automated phone help system

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Interaction types – manipulating
 User manipulates virtual objects by manipulating them (e.g. move, select,
open, hold, close, place, drag, zoom, stretch, shrink, etc.)

 Effects are immediately visible on screen

 Can involve using physical controllers (e.g. mouse, touchscreen, game

controllers) or air gestures to control movements of the objects

 Examples:
 Zoom in, zoom out
 Move a file by dragging file icon from one part of the screen to another

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Interaction types – manipulating

Move/drag file

Zoom in, zoom out 11

Interaction types – exploring
 User moves through digital or physical environments

 Examples:
 User navigates and explores a virtual 3D environment (e.g. virtual campus)
 Physical environments embedded with sensors that detect presence of a
user/certain body movements, and then trigger digital/physical events to happen

 Enable users to explore and interact with an environment by exploiting their

knowledge of how they move and navigate through existing spaces

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Interaction types – exploring

CAVE is a multiperson, room-sized, high-
resolution, 3D audio & video environment. User
wears a position sensor and as he/she moves
within the display boundaries, the user will see
different perspectives (e.g. stand near a huge
insect, be swallowed, be inside the abdomen
etc.)
Source:
http://alexei.nfshost.com/3d/cave.html
A scientist uses the NCSA CAVE to move
through 3D visualizations of datasets.
Source:
https://www.kalevleetaru.com/Publish/NC
SA_Cave.pdf
Further reading on NCSA CAVE: NCSA
CAVE.pdf

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Interaction types – responding
 The system initiates the interaction and the user chooses to respond

 Example:
 Fitness tracker notifies user has walked 10,000 steps in a day
 App/system showing the user something that it “thinks” is of interest/relevance to
the user
 Notifications/alerts
 Recommendations

 For some users, this may be tiresome/frustrating (especially when the system
gets it wrong)

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Interaction types – responding

Apple’s fall detection

Google Lens automatic pop-up information to

identify name/type/breed of the photo object
(e.g. tulip)

Fitness tracker
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Summary
 What is interaction?
 Interaction types
 The process of interaction design
 Approaches to interaction design
 Who is involved in interaction design
 Conceptualizing interaction
 Conceptual models

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