Interaction Design 101

“Design is directed toward human beings. To design is to solve human problems by identifying them and executing the best solution.” – Ivan Chermayeff (Chermayeff and Gaser, an American Branding Company)

In today’s digital world, consumers are craving well designed websites that helps them do what they want to do easier and more efficiently. All too often, marketers focus too heavily on the visual design of the site rather than the entire interactiom design. By focusing web design on the user goals and their online behaviours, you intangibly add value to the consumer and improve their overall brand experience.

If you have any doubts as to what exactly is a poorly designed site, check out my favourite source of the worst of the web on The Big Ugly Website. However, to argue the importance of interaction design in web design we don’t even have to go that far… All you need to do is look at the recent backlash against Facebook’s recent redesign in March 2009; a redesign which instantaneously stirred up negative user sentiment (I had friends vow off Facebook forwever; a redesign that got the thumbs down from 94% of the nearly 800,000 users who voted in the Techcrunch Poll about the redesign; and a redesign that sparked the re-redesign response from Facebook’s Director of Product, Christopher Cox.

Interaction design defines the behaviour of a system in response to its user. When designing a website, emphasis must be placed on the user goals and experience; designs must be evaluated in terms of usability and affective influence. High level interaction design is best achieved with a process driven approach, involving iterative cycles of user research. The complex mechanisms of digital technologies are not often well understood by the target audience and they don’t need to be. It is the interaction design that aims to minimise the learning curve and increase accuracy and efficiency of a takes whilst still maintaining usefulness.

By researching different user groups, we are able to develop an understanding about their tasks and their needs. Then using this insight, we can match users’ needs with the site content and functionality through the information architecture (sitemap and wireframes).  The objective of information architecture is to organise the site’s content and features in a way that supports the user’s mental mapping and allows them to accomplish their goals. The information architecture of a site should always follow a long term strategy that supports the site’s growth and creates clearly defines spaces for future content.

Finally, once the site’s features, and how users interact with them, have been established you can then move on to create a visual design – colours, imagery, and typography.

Designs based on a consumer’s ideas, needs, and goals will reap rewards for any company. The market will continue to become more and more digital world and consumers will continue to ignore the constant flood of mass advertising unless it connects to them. Marketing is a two-way street – demonstrate your respect for consumers’ needs and interests, and in turn you will earn their respect and loyalty.

Consumers are searching for meaningful connections. Does your brand deliver?

At 33 Interactions we take a phase by phase approach to interaction design. If you are interested in how we can help you connect more meaningfully with your consumers, please contact us.

Image by jonbro

Communications