[IxDA Discuss] Interaction design is design of time

[Dan Saffer]

I wouldn't exactly say that it is the design of time, unless you are  
some sort of divine entity. :)

But since all interactions take place in time, time is one of the  
elements of interaction design and needs to be accounted for.  
Sometimes that time can be near-instantaneous, like the time it takes  
to click a mouse. Sometimes it can involve very long durations. You  
can still find online usenet messages from decades ago.

Movement through space takes time to accomplish. As every gamer will  
attest, it takes time to press buttons (around 8 milliseconds at the  
fastest). Even with broadband speeds, it takes time for packets of  
data to travel from distant servers through the physical wires and  
perhaps through the air via wireless signal to your computer.

Interaction designers need an awareness of time. Some tasks are  
complicated and take a long time to complete—for instance, searching  
for and buying a product, and designers need to be aware of this.

Dan