a field guide to interaction design (ixd)

BY JAMES CARUSO, EXPERIENCE LEAD

INTERACTION DESIGNA FIELD GUIDE TO

W H A T I S I N T E R A C T I O N D E S I G N ?

Interaction design is about shaping digital things for human use. Engaging, well thought-out interfaces allow us to

interact with digital things by understanding and predicting our behaviors. Through this understanding, interactions

align to expectations and digital things made easier to use.

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H O W I S I T U S E D ?

Interaction design is used to execute “ideas that do,” or more precisely, “ideas that enable people do things.”

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W H Y I S I N T E R A C T I O N D E S I G N I M P O R T A N T ?

Interaction design is a big part of how we make things usable and enjoyable. As digital things become more and more

prevalent, ease of use becomes more and more expected.

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ToolsU S E T H E R I G H T O N E S F O R T H E J O B

A X U R E / / / P L A N

Plan your flows, create sitemaps, chart user journeys, and develop interactive wireframes with this planning tool.

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S K E T C H / / / D E S I G N

Craft your user interface, build from your wires, and refine your interaction points with this design tool.

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F R A M E R / / / R E F I N E

Prototype, explore, and refine complex and nuanced interactions with a physics-based framework.

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E T H O S

Each step of the process informs the other, both forward and backward. This is a fluid process based around

the idea of continual refinement.

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I N T E R A C T I O N D E S I G N

G O A L S

J O U R N E Y E X P E R I E N C E

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Our choices in designing interactions are shaped by the

confluence of these basic components.

I N T E R A C T I O N D E S I G N

G O A L S

To craft ideas that do, we must first know the goals of the thing

and the people using it.

C L I E N T G O A L S

B U S I N E S S G O A L S

U S E R G O A L S

P L A T F O R M G O A L S

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J O U R N E Y

For a journey to be successful, it must tell a story—one with

the user at its heart as the protagonist. This story can be

both finite and infinite.

G O A L M A P P I N G

U S E R F L O W S

E X P E R I E N C E M A P S

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E X P E R I E N C E

The best experiences engage users by anticipating needs,

understanding behaviors, and moving to fulfill them.

D E F I N E F O R M

A N T I C I P A T E N E E D S

U N D E R S T A N D B E H A V I O R S

C R E A T E D I A L O G U E S

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Interactive WiresA key component and pertinent starting place for great

interaction design are interactive wireframes.

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M E D I U M

Since we are designing digital things, working within a digital medium will yield the truest representation of the

product, interface, or interactions.

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A T R U E E X P E R I E N C E

Interactive wires are built to get as close to the final user experience as possible. From function to journey, things

actually work.

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S O L V I N G R E A L P R O B L E M S

When you build with interactive wires, you are beginning to solve for real interactions. It’s a different thing to annotate how a search feature will work than it is to actually build it

out and take that journey.

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M A L L E A B I L I T Y

With interactive wires the distance between idea and execution is greatly reduced. Interactive wires are pliable,

flexible, adaptable, and testable.

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C O M P L E X I T Y

When deciding how far to take the level of interaction, it’s best to make only the most crucial or complex features

interactive. This is important when designing or planning for complex flows or user journeys.

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B U I L D B I G , P L A N S M A L L

As you design your core interactions, plan your micro-interactions. These are the small details that

surprise and delight users.

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Wires Inform DesignYour wireframes will directly influence and inform your

design decisions.

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S U B T R A C T I O N

Wires force you to pare your ideas and assumptions down to their most basic forms.

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Design Informs InteractionIt is through visual language —colors, typography, spacing—

that design shapes and refines our interactions.

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R E F I N E M E N T

Through design we continual plan for and refine our interactions. The more our ideas stew, the better they

become and better we can execute them.

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Interaction Informs ExperienceAs your interactions are refined through design, you’ll notice

the overall experience beginning to change.

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M A T U R A T I O N

It’s here that our ideas are transformed. Where visual play gives way to insight and epiphany. And where epiphany is sanded down and sculpted into something new, enticing,

beautiful, and usable.

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MotionA N I M AT I O N & I N T E R A C T I V I T Y

T R A N S F O R M A T I O N

Our interfaces should be able to change and adapt to meet user needs. When components change from one state to

another, those changes need to feel fluid and natural.

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T R A N S I T I O N S

Well-designed transitions can help users through a long flow or process by guiding them

and never letting them feel lost or confused.

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C O N S I S T E N C Y

Consistency is key for maintaining and guiding user focus, as incoming and outgoing elements

enter and exit the screen.

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D E S I G N

Design helps us build continuity in transitions through the use of design patterns and persisting elements.

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U N D E R S T A N D I N G

Through well-choreographed transitions and coordinated design, users begin to understand the design

and grow with the experience.

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S E Q U E N C E A N D T I M I N G

Sequence and timing are important factors in deterring the choreography of transitioning

and transforming components.

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T I M E A N D R E S P O N S E

How long things take to respond can make an interface feel snappy or sluggish. Think about timing as you would think about using white space in a design or silence in a piece of

music or film.

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S T O R Y , O R I G I N , & H I E R A R C H Y

The order in which transition or transformation occur can tell a story, show a point of origin or

communicate hierarchy.

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A T T E N T I O N

Motion allows us to direct users’ attention to support our goals.

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D I S T R A C T I O N

Use motion judiciously and refrain from drawing unwanted attention to areas of the experience that aren’t important or

that will break continuity and cause confusion.

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F O C U S

Attention can best be held by allowing users to focus on one primary action at a time. That element entices the user,

taking hold and maintaining their attention.

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F E E D B A C K

Feedback is a crucial component of interaction design. It’s how users know that what they’re interacting with does

something—by reacting to their input.

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R E S P O N S I V E N E S S

Components should respond when interacted with, whether it’s through touch, click, tap, voice, or gesture.

User-initiated events need strong visual connections to the epicenter of the interaction to provide adequate feedback.

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O V E R S T I M U L A T I O N

Animating everything, and providing feedback for every interaction can become annoying to users. Be judicious in

your application of movement, focus, and feedback.

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C R A F T I N G D E L I G H T

We can achieve delight by creating interactions that add clarity, guide attention through cleverness, and

surprise users.

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C L O S I N G T H O U G H T S

Interaction design is the culmination of the experience, of the design, of the choreographed transitions, of

transformations — it is the sum of all of these things. Interaction design is really the design of ideas that enable

people do things.

James Caruso ( james@prpl.rs)

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