Introduction to Designing for Interaction

RICH MEDIA

Class Lecture by Nigel Aono-Billson

Known as Multimedia and refers to various types of Digital Applications such as Web Media, Digital Media, Photography and modern day touch screen programmes. The word "Rich" is refered to as an opportunity to share and talk to each other, demonstrating and illustrating ideas and sharing each others thoughts on a variety of subjects. Another word often used in Media is "sticky" or Sticky Media. This means sticking to an idea, source or subject and experimenting with it to reach a final conclusion.

BLOGS

Blogs are a way we interact with each other. There are many social network "blog" based interfaces that we use in the modern world, such as Facebook, Flicker and Twitter. There is also a interface now called Second Life, which is a character based role play interface where you can interact with other members in a "cyber" world.

IDEO

IDEO were a company that designed codes and software for computers. Two members of the company Bill Varplank, who was a theorist and Award-winning designer Bill Moggridge who worked closely together to create a key of defining how we Design for Interaction. There are three very simple questions that must be answered:

How do you do?
How do we interact we something? A Gallery space, Audio Visual. How to play a small device such as mobile phones or MP3 players for example and push "Buttons". How do we affect the world around us?

How do you feel?
How do we feel about what we see or interact with?

How do you know?
Do we need something to guide us through like a map or a route? Moment to moment. Simple instructions on how we navigate.

HOT & COLD MEDIA

COLD Media

Is it HOT or COLD? T.V's and computer screens are generally considered to be COOL media. T.V's need power and support for them to function. They are "Fuzzy"! You cannot grab it and it is impossible to touch the fuzzy images that appear in front of you. They need a certain amount of stimulation. Response to a thought. Causel Affect. Send something out there and you get something back! So generally things we interact with are considered COLD.

HOT Media

A book or a gravestone is considered to be HOT media. They are distinct and you can't edit it. You cannot change the original, it's set. A photograph is also hot. It's a moment in time captured and cannot be change. The same applies to newspapers. The stories that are written are something that is "set in stone". Of the moment, never to be repeated!

At the end of the day everything comes back to HOT and COLD media. Design for people interacting on the world where we live. Do we use Handles or Buttons to do this? With Handles we manipulate the world, with Buttons we interact. We need to design emergency routes for the users. Maps to show and hold in the users head. A Blog is both cool and hot. The information is cool, the fundamental is hot.