[IxDA Discuss] Interaction design is design of time

[Robert Reimann]

Great thread, all!

My thoughts on the matter of time and IxD are as follows:

Although behavior occurs in time, it would be a mistake to reduce the design
of behavior
to mere manipulation of time (or more accurately, the perception and use of
time). In particular,
there is a "matching" of behaviors--machine to human--that must occur when
designing
superior interactions; it is not only time+space+choice as Eugene suggests,
but rather
time+space+choice+*response*, where the human choice is reciprocated by an
appropriate
machine response that (ideally) fits with human expectation or emotion in
the context of
that choice or action.

In About Face 2.0, I discuss translating human needs (for the purposes of
designing
interactions) into sets of objects+actions+contexts that provide an
appropriate outcome. The
complete behavior of a system could then be expressed as the set of
relationships between all
objects+actions+contexts in the system. Those relationships could be
spatial, temporal,
or even cognitive or emotional.  It is the human context, the *meaning and
interpretation*
(to Dave's point regarding tone, presentation, personality) of behaviors
according to emotions
and mental models that elude a reduction to mere space and time.

Robert.

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Robert Reimann
Manager, User Experience

Bose Corporation
The Mountain
Framingham, MA