PROCESS

INTERACTION
OF
DESIGN
 INTRODUC
TION
Creating a better Interaction
Design
There are many fields of design, such as graphic design,
architectural design, industrial design, and software
design. Although each discipline has its own approach
to design, there are commonalities. This approach has
four phases which are iterated:
 DISCOVER

4 PHASES - DEFINE
PROCESS OF
INTERACTION DEVELOP

DESIGN
INTERACTION DESIGN ALSO FOLLOWS THESE PHASES, AND IT IS UNDERPINNED
BY THE PHILOSOPHY OF USER-CENTERED DESIGN, THAT IS, INVOLVING USERS
THROUGHOUT DEVELOPMENT. TRADITIONALLY, INTERACTION DESIGNERS
DELIVER
BEGIN BY DOING USER RESEARCH AND THEN SKETCHING THEIR IDEAS.
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN
INTERACTION DESIGN?

DOUBL
E
DIAMO THE DOUBLE DIAMOND IS A DESIGN FRAMEWORK THAT WAS
DEVELOPED BY THE BRITISH DESIGN COUNCIL. IT IS A VISUAL
REPRESENTATION OF THE DESIGN PROCESS, HIGHLIGHTING THE

ND OF IMPORTANCE OF DIVERGENT AND CONVERGENT THINKING IN TWO

DISTINCT PHASES: DISCOVER, DEFINE, DEVELOP, AND DELIVER. THE
FRAMEWORK IS CALLED "DOUBLE DIAMOND" BECAUSE IT FORMS

DESIG
TWO DIAMOND SHAPES, REPRESENTING THESE PHASES.
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN
INTERACTION DESIGN?
Discover: In the first diamond, the goal is to explore the
problem space and gain a deep understanding of the user
needs, challenges, and opportunities. This phase involves
DOUBL research, empathy-building, and generating a wide range of
ideas. It's about broadening perspectives and identifying the

E right problems to solve.

Define: This phase involves refining the insights gathered
during the discovery phase and defining a clear problem

DIAMO statement. It's about synthesizing the information and

aligning on the specific challenge that needs to be addressed.

ND OF This phase narrows down the focus and sets the stage for
ideation.

DESIG
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN Develop: In the second diamond, the focus shifts to
INTERACTION DESIGN?
generating and developing solutions to the defined
problem. This phase is characterized by brainstorming,

DOUBL prototyping, and testing different ideas. It's about

exploring a variety of concepts and experimenting with

E potential solutions.
Deliver: The final phase involves refining and
implementing the chosen solution. It's about bringing the
DIAMO design to life, testing it further, and ensuring that it aligns
with user needs and business objectives. This phase

ND OF includes iteration and refinement to achieve the best

possible outcome.

DESIG
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN The Double Diamond emphasizes the iterative
INTERACTION DESIGN?
and non-linear nature of the design process. It
acknowledges that creativity and innovation
DOUBL often involve diverging to explore possibilities
and then converging to make decisions and refine
E solutions. This framework encourages designers
to balance exploration and focus, ensuring that
DIAMO both the problem and solution spaces are
thoroughly explored before finalizing a design.

ND OF
DESIG
UNDERSTANDING THE
PROBLEM SPACE
In the process of creating an interactive product, it can
be tempting to begin at the nuts-and-bolts level of
design. It means working out how to design the physical
interface and what technologies and inter- action styles
to use, for example, whether to use multitouch, voice,
graphical user interface, heads-up display, augmented
reality, gesture-based, and so forth. The problem with
starting here is that potential users and their context can
be misunderstood, and usability and user experience
goals can be overlooked.
THE IMPORTANCE OF
INVOLVING USERS
The importance of understanding users, and the previous
description emphasizes the need to involve users in
interaction design. Involving users in development is
important because it's the best way to ensure that the end
product is usable and that it indeed will be used.

Involving users throughout development helps with

expectation management because they can see the product's
capabilities from an early stage. They will also understand
better how it will affect their jobs and lives and why the
features are designed that way.
THE IMPORTANCE OF
INVOLVING USERS
A second reason for user involvement is ownership.
Users who are involved and feel that they have
contributed to a product's development are more
likely to feel a sense of ownership toward it and
support its use (Bano et al., 2017).
DEGREES OF USER
INVOLVEMENT
• Fully Engaged Throughout All Iterations: Some users are
deeply integrated into the design team and actively participate
in every phase of the development process. They contribute
continuously, providing insights, feedback, and ideas.
• Partially Engaged Throughout Development: Users are
involved on a part-time basis, contributing their input
periodically throughout the development process. This
approach ensures ongoing user input without overburdening
them.
• Targeted Participation in Specific Activities: Users take part in
specific activities designed to gather input or evaluate designs.
While their involvement is limited to these particular tasks,
their insights are valuable for those activities.
DEGREES OF USER
INVOLVEMENT
• Face-to-Face Engagement: Initially, user involvement
often took the form of small groups or individual users
participating in face-to-face information-gathering
sessions, design workshops, or evaluation sessions. This
direct engagement allows for in-depth interaction.
• Online Engagement and Crowdsourcing: With the rise of
online connectivity, a wider range of users can now
contribute remotely. Online feedback exchange (OFE)
systems enable large numbers of potential users to test
design concepts. Crowdsourcing involves inviting diverse
stakeholders to contribute ideas and feedback, enriching
the design process.
USER
INVOLVEM
ENT AFTER After a product's release, a distinct form of user involvement emerges,
focusing on collecting data and feedback from everyday usage. Customer

PRODUCT reviews have gained significance and impact product popularity and
success. Reviews cover a range of feedback, such as mobile app
complaints like privacy issues and interface problems. While valuable for

RELEASE product improvement, analyzing this feedback in detail can be time-

consuming.
Error reporting systems (ERSS), like the Windows error reporting system,
automatically gather user data to enhance applications. Users grant permission for
this, and the reporting process minimally burdens them. Such systems significantly
enhance application quality, as demonstrated by Windows XP's team fixing 29
percent of errors based on ERSS data. ERSS employs sophisticated strategies like
automatic aggregation of error reports, varying data collection based on diagnostic
needs, minimal user interaction, user privacy protection, and providing solutions
directly to users where possible. These strategies, alongside statistical analysis, focus
efforts on addressing bugs with the highest impact on users.
 User-centered design

FOUR Activity-centered
APPROACHES TO design
INTERACTION Systems
design
DESIGN
DAN SAFFER (2010) SUGGESTS FOUR MAIN APPROACHES
TO INTERACTION DESIGN, EACH OF WHICH IS BASED ON A Genius design
DISTINCT UNDERLYING PHILOSOPHY:
User-centered design

In user- centered design, the user knows best and is the guide
to the designer; the designer's role is to translate the users'
needs and goals into a design solution.
Activity-centered design

Activity-centered design focuses on the behavior surrounding

particular tasks. Users still play a significant role, but it is
their behavior rather than their goals and needs that is
important
Systems design

Systems design is a structured, rigorous, and holistic design

approach that focuses on context and is particularly
appropriate for complex problems. In systems design, it is the
system (that is, the people, computers, objects, devices, and
so on) that the center of attention, while the users' role is to
set the goals of the system.
Genius Design

Finally, genius design is different from the other three

approaches because it relies largely on the experience and
creative flair of a designer
Jim Leftwich

Jim Leftwich, an experienced interaction designer interviewed by Dan

Saffer prefers the term rapid expert design. In this approach, the users'
role is to validate ideas generated by the designer, and users are not
involved during the design process itself. Dan Saffer points out that
this is not necessarily by choice, but it may be because of limited or
no resources for user involvement.
 EARLY FOCUS ON USERS
AND TASKS
This means first understanding who the
users will be by directly studying their
When the field of HCI was being
established, John Gould and Clayton cognitive, behavioral,
Lewis (1985) laid down three principles anthropomorphic, and attitudinal
that they believed would lead to a character- istics. This requires
"useful and easy to use computer observing users doing their normal
system." These principles are as
tasks, studying the nature of those
follows:
tasks, and then involving users in the
design process.
 USERS' TASKS AND GOALS ARE THE
This principle can be DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE
expanded and clarified DEVELOPMENT.
through the following
five further principles:
 USERS' BEHAVIOR AND CONTEXT
OF USE ARE STUDIED, AND THE
This principle can be SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT
expanded and clarified
THEM.
through the following
five further principles:
 USERS' CHARACTERISTICS ARE
This principle can be CAPTURED AND DESIGNED FOR
expanded and clarified
through the following
five further principles:
 USERS ARE CONSULTED THROUGHOUT
This principle can be DEVELOPMENT FROM EARLIEST
expanded and clarified PHASES TO THE LATEST.
through the following
five further principles:
 ALL DESIGN DECISIONS ARE TAKEN
This principle can be WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE USERS,
expanded and clarified THEIR ACTIVITIES, AND THEIR
through the following ENVIRONMENT.
five further principles:
EMPIRICAL
MEASUREMENT
Early in development, the reactions and performance of intended
users to printed scenarios, manuals, and so forth, are observed and
measured. Later, users interact with simulations and prototypes,
and their performance and reactions are observed, recorded, and
analyzed.
ITERATIVE DESIGN

When problems are found in user testing, they are fixed, and then
more tests and observations are carried out to see the effects of the
fixes. This means that design and development are iterative, with
cycles of design-test-measure-redesign being repeated as often as
necessary.
 Discovering requirements
for the interactive
product.
Designing alternatives
that meet those
FOUR BASIC requirements.
ACTIVITIES OF Prototyping the
alternative designs
INTERACTION
DESIGN Evaluating the product
and the user experience
DISCOVERING
REQUIREMENTS
This activity covers the left side of the double diamond of design, and it is focused on
discovering something new about the world and defining what will be developed. In
the case of interaction design, this includes understanding the target users and the
support an interactive product could usefully provide. This understanding is gleaned
through data gathering and analysis, which are discussed in Chapters 8-10. It forms the
basis of the product's requirements and underpins subsequent design and development.
The requirements activity is discussed further in Chapter 11.
DESIGNING
ALTERNATIVES
This is the core activity of designing and is part of the Develop phase of the double
diamond: proposing ideas for meeting the requirements. For interaction design, this
activity can be viewed as two subactivities: conceptual design and concrete design.
Conceptual design involves pro- ducing the conceptual model for the product, and a
conceptual model describes an abstraction outlining what people can do with a product
and what concepts are needed to understand how to interact with it. Concrete design
considers the detail of the product including the colors, sounds, and images to use,
menu design, and icon design.
PROTOTYPING
Prototyping is also part of the Develop phase of the double diamond. Interaction design
involves designing the behavior of interactive products as well as their look and feel. The
most effective way for users to evaluate such designs is to interact with them, and this can
be achieved through prototyping. This does not necessarily mean that a piece of software is
required. There are different prototyping techniques, not all of which require a working
piece of software. For example, paper-based prototypes are quick and cheap to build and are
effective for identifying problems in the early stages of design, and through role-playing
users can get a real sense of what it will be like to interact with the product.
EVALUATING

Evaluating is also part of the Develop phase of the double diamond. It is the process
of deter- mining the usability and acceptability of the product or design measured in
terms of a variety of usability and user-experience criteria. Evaluation does not
replace activities concerned with quality assurance and testing to make sure that the
final product is fit for its intended purpose, but it complements and enhances them.
 Who are the users?

What are the users'

needs?

SOME PRACTICAL How to generate

ISSUES alternative designs?
How to integrate interaction
THE DISCUSSION SO FAR HAS HIGHLIGHTED SOME ISSUES ABOUT design activities with other
THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF USER- CENTERED DESIGN AND
THE SIMPLE LIFECYCLE OF INTERACTION DESIGN INTRODUCED lifecycle models?
EARLIER. THESE ISSUES ARE LISTED HERE:
WHO ARE THE USERS?

Identifying users and stakeholders for product development is more difficult than it
appears. Sha Zhao et al. revealed many smartphone user categories, calling into
question established manufacturer categorizations. Beyond health-related issues,
Charlie Wilson et al. observe a lack of knowledge of smart home users. Products
designed for large populations provide difficulties in defining users. Some products
target specific responsibilities within sectors, resulting in a wide range of user
groups.
WHO ARE THE USERS?

Individuals or groups affected by project outcomes play a variety of roles as

stakeholders. Customers, developers, lawmakers, and other stakeholders are
included in stakeholder groups, which are larger than user groups. Involving
stakeholders helps to increase user inclusion. Using social networks and
collaborative filtering, the onion diagram and StakeRare approach model and
identify stakeholders based on involvement levels.
WHAT ARE THE
USERS' NEEDS?
Asking people directly what they need for product design may not provide accurate
results since they may not be aware of all the possibilities. Users are frequently
unaware of "un-dreamed-of" requirements. Designers explore the issue area,
research user activities, and test ideas with possible users to find needs and select
what to build rather than relying simply on user feedback. In the case of new
inventions, field investigations and rapid design sprints with genuine customer
feedback are beneficial.
WHAT ARE THE
USERS' NEEDS?

Designers should not rely only on their preferences, as their ideas may not
correspond with the experiences and expectations of the target audience. It is more
beneficial to focus on users' goals, usability, and user experience than to expect
stakeholders to exactly express product needs.
HOW TO GENERATE
ALTERNATIVE
DESIGNS?
The section analyzes the sources of creativity for generating up with unique ideas
and emphasizes the relevance of producing alternatives in the design process. It
points out that, while individuals like to stick with what they know works, settling
for "good enough" solutions can stymie development. Individual designer
innovation, cross-fertilization of ideas from different viewpoints, evolution of
existing items via observation and use, and even direct copying of comparable
products are all sources of creativity and new ideas.
HOW TO GENERATE
ALTERNATIVE
DESIGNS?
Seeking other views, researching current designs, and exploring identical domains
can all help with the process of producing alternative designs. By uncovering links
between seemingly unconnected areas, creativity workshops with experts from many
domains can stimulate fresh ideas. Seeking out sources of inspiration, whether they
be competitors' goods, prior versions of comparable systems, or unrelated fields, can
help designers improve their creative process.
HOW TO GENERATE
ALTERNATIVE
DESIGNS?
However, due to limitations and requirements, limitations may occur in some
circumstances. When balancing trade-offs and sticking to certain constraints, the
space for exploring alternate solutions may be limited. For example, building
software for a given operating system may need following its user interface rules.
HOW TO CHOOSE
AMONG
ALTERNATIVE
Choosing between various designs in interface design entails making decisions
DESIGNS?
concerning both externally visible and quantifiable elements as well as internal system
characteristics. User requirements, tasks, and technical feasibility all affect these
decisions. The main focus is on externally apparent features, which are driven by user
experience. Prototyping is an important step in communicating and testing designs
since it represents the user experience more accurately than static explanations. To
make educated decisions, A/B testing, in which several versions are deployed and user
data is collected, is also used.
HOW TO CHOOSE
AMONG
ALTERNATIVE
DESIGNS?
Another consideration in deciding between alternatives is quality, which is defined
differently by different stakeholders. Different groups may have different ideas about
what constitutes quality, which could lead to disagreements. Usability engineering is a
method of guiding design decisions by defining explicit, measurable usability
requirements. This procedure aids in the clarification of expectations, the comparison
of goods and prototypes, and the selection of the best alternative design.
HOW TO CHOOSE
AMONG
ALTERNATIVE
DESIGNS?
Another consideration in deciding between alternatives is quality, which is defined
differently by different stakeholders. Different groups may have different ideas about
what constitutes quality, which could lead to disagreements. Usability engineering is a
method of guiding design decisions by defining explicit, measurable usability
requirements. This procedure aids in the clarification of expectations, the comparison
of goods and prototypes, and the selection of the best alternative design.
HOW TO INTEGRATE
INTERACTION DESIGN
ACTIVITIES WITHIN OTHER
Interaction design is a crucial aspect of software development, with various disciplines
LIFECYCLE MODELS?
contributing to its lifecycle. The latest attempts to integrate these practices focus on
agile software development, which emerged in the late 1990s. Agile methods, such as
extreme Programming, Scrum, and Kanban, emphasize iteration, early and repeated
user feedback, handling emergent requirements, and a balance between flexibility and
structure. They also emphasize collaboration, face-to-face communication, streamlined
processes, and practice over process.
HOW TO INTEGRATE
INTERACTION DESIGN
ACTIVITIES WITHIN OTHER
The Manifesto for Agile Software Development (www.agilemanifesto.org/) emphasizes the
LIFECYCLE
importance of individualsMODELS?
and interactions over processes and tools, working software over
comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and responding to
change over following a plan. The manifesto is based on principles such as communication with the
business, excellence of coding, and maximizing work done. The agile approach to development is
particularly interesting from the perspective of interaction design, as it incorporates tight iterations,
feedback, and collaboration with the customer. However, integration is not always straightforward,
as discussed in Chapter 13. Integrating agile methods with interaction design practices can produce
a better user experience and business value, but it is not always easy.
THANK BSIT 4A

REGIENALD R. FERNANDEZ

YOU PHILIPPE NADURATA

FOR
LISTENING
!