Interaction for Designers shows you how to connect a product with its users, whether it’s a simple toaster, a complex ecosystem of intelligent devices, or a single app on your smartphone. This book covers the entire design process so you can start with an idea and carry it through to an engaging final design. It carefully leads you step by step and richly illustrates each stage with examples drawn from business communication, social media and the social economy, consumer electronics, architecture and environments, health care, psychology, art and culture, education, athletics, automotive design, entertainment, fashion, the family home, and a wealth of others. You’ll learn how to brainstorm ideas, research them, explore them, evolve them into finished designs, pitch them, all with the goal of helping you make things that people love. Includes over 200 color images, a glossary, and links to web resources highlighting design concepts and designer interviews. http://interactionfordesigners.com/

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Designers of Individual Projects Designers on Team-based Projects Preface Introduction 1 Concept 1.1 The Brief 1.2 Ideation and Proper Journaling 1.3 Concept Brainstorm 1.3.1 Intuition and Passion: 1.3.2 Scope Change 1.3.3 Contextual Inquiry 1.3.4 Underserved Populations 1.3.5 Trends 1.3.6 Future Casting 1.3.7 Scenarios 1.3.8 Role Playing 1.3.9 Magic Moments 1.3.10 Mind Mapping 1.3.11 Group Creativity 1.3.12 Creativity Cards 1.3.13 Beyond Low Hanging Fruit 1.3.14 Give it a Rest 1.4 Gathering the Best Ideas 1.5 Big Ideas 1.6 The Strategic Pyramid 1.6.1 The Foundation: What, Who, and Why 1.6.2 Context: When and Where 1.6.3 The How 1.6.4 Applying the Pyramid 2 Opportunity 2.1 Design Hypotheses 2.2 Secondary vs. Primary Research 2.3 Concept Ideation 2.4 General Trend Analyses 2.5 Competitive Landscape 2.6 Competition Feature Analysis 2.7 Expert Interviews 2.8 Competition Detail Research 2.9 Pain Points 2.10 Strategic Vision 2.11 Market SWOT 2.12 Positioning Matrix 2.13 Goals, Not Features 2.14 The Target 2.15 Target Market 2.16 Provisional Persona 2.17 User Goals 2.18 Positioning Statements 2.19 Design Criteria 2.20 Scenarios 2.21 Different Objectives, Different Scenarios 2.22 Text Scenarios 3 User Research 3.1 Ethnography 3.2 Contextual Inquiry, Revisited 3.3 Ethics 3.4 Subjects, Screening, and Sample Size 3.5 Aspirational vs. Actual Target 3.6 What We’d Like to Know 3.6.1 A Typical Day 3.6.2 Goals and the Current Scenario 3.6.3 Related Products 3.6.4 Aspirational Adjectives 3.6.5 User Inspiration 3.6.6 General Pain Points 3.7 Getting to the Truth 3.8 Approaching the Visit 3.8.1 General Observation 3.8.2 Activities 3.8.3 Directed Task Observations 3.8.4 Transitioning to Questions 3.8.5 Framing Questions 3.8.6 Consistent and Unique 3.8.7 Observational Verification 3.9 User Research Findings 3.10 Interview Synopses 3.11 Re-assess the Strategic Vision 3.12 Strategic Refinement 3.13 The Persona 3.14 Revisiting the Text Scenario 3.15 Aspirational Adjectives 3.16 General Moodboard 3.17 Your Mission 4 Approach Exploration: Users and Features 4.1 Unconstrained Ideation 4.2 Goals to Features 4.3 The Muscow Chart 4.4 User Stories 4.5 A Day in the Life 4.6 Journey Map 4.7 Inspiration by Journey 4.8 Inspiration by Empathy 4.9 The Primary Use Case 4.10 External Context 4.11 Exploring Approaches Through Text Scenarios 4.12 Touchpoint Ideation 4.13 Posture Studies 4.14 Inspiration through Physicality 4.15 Inspiration through Technology 4.16 Inspiration through Accessibility 4.17 The Blob Scenario 4.18 Guidewords 4.18.1 Avoid Things You Should Do Anyway 4.18.2 Be Distinctive 4.18.3 Strive for Range and Tension 4.18.4 Avoid Media Terms 4.18.5 Guidewords are not Design Criteria 4.18.6 Guideword Moodboards 4.19 User Feedback 4.20 Feedback on Aesthetics 4.21 A/B Testing 5 Approach Exploration: Ecosystem and Context 5.1 System Hierarchy 5.1.1 System Level 5.1.2 Context Level 5.1.3 Quiescent State Level 5.1.4 Section, Content, and Control 5.1.5 Elements 5.2 Device Ecosystems 5.3 Ecosystem Orchestration 5.4 Use Casting 5.5 Postures and Context 5.6 User Stories, Revisited 5.7 The Process of Exploring Context 5.8 Ecosystem Diagram 5.9 Flow Centric Organization 5.10 Data Centric Organization 5.11 The Primary Use Case Test 5.12 Primary Contexts 5.13 Other Organizational Approaches 5.14 Friction 5.15 The Impact of Structure 5.16 Structure Map 5.17 Refining the Blob Scenario 6 Approach Exploration: Tasks and Interactions 6.1 Features to Tasks 6.2 Interaction as a Language 6.3 Postures and Tasks 6.4 Approach Ideation 6.5 Finding Inspiration 6.6 Reconnect with the Big Picture 6.7 Good Climbing Habits 6.8 Prototyping 6.9 Connecting Ideas into Scenarios 6.10 The Sketch Scenario 6.11 Inspiration Boards 6.12 Feedback 7 Structure 7.1 Tasks to Information 7.2 Information Taxonomies 7.3 Labelling 7.4 Card Sorting 7.5 Beyond Hierarchies 7.6 Overview of Information Structures 7.7 Exploring Structure 7.8 Navigation Design 7.9 Design Patterns and Navigation 7.10 Wireframes 7.11 Consider the Primary Use Case 7.12 Wireframe Interface Exploration 7.13 Lo-Fi Wireframes 7.14 Test the Wireframe Flow 7.15 Revise 7.16 Magic Moments Revisited 7.17 The Wireframe Flowboard 7.18 The Lo-Fi (paper) Prototype 7.19 Feedback Should Trigger Ideation 7.20 The Paper Prototype Scenario 7.21 Comprehensive Moodboards and Inspiration Boards 8 Interface 8.1 Considerations, Not Process 8.2 The Content Triangle 8.3 Interface Considerations 8.4 Consider the User’s Situation 8.5 Consider Device 8.6 Virtual vs. Physical 8.7 Physical Controls 8.7.1 Information Coherence 8.7.2 Fit In, but Stand Out 8.7.3 Sensory Agreement 8.7.4 Chunking 8.7.5 Posture Coherence 8.8 Virtual Components and Postures 8.9 Organizing Virtual Controls 8.10 Virtual Control Considerations 8.10.1 Information Coherence 8.10.2 Fit In, but Stand Out 8.10.3 Chunking 8.10.4 Posture Coherence 8.10.5 Sensory Agreement 8.11 Consider Ergonomics and Human Factors 8.12 Consider Usability 8.13 Form Follows Function 8.14 Consider Accessibility and Inclusivity 8.15 Consider Flexibility Versus Usability 8.16 Consider Hick’s Law 8.17 Consider Performance Load and Cognitive Overload 8.18 Consider Reducing Navigational Depth 8.19 Surfacing 8.20 Surface the Fun 8.21 Menulessness 8.22 Match Control with Proficiency 8.23 Consider Progressive Disclosure 8.24 Consider Process Behavior 8.25 Consider Mental Models 8.26 Consider Metaphor 8.27 Consider Interface Patterns 8.28 Consider Interface Guidelines 8.29 Reaching Refinement 9 Refinement 9.1 Mid-Fidelity Wireframes or Mockups 9.2 Secondary Use Cases: The Critical Alternates 9.3 User Flow 9.4 Red-lining User Flows 9.5 Mid-Fidelity Wireframe Flowboard 9.6 The Structural Prototype 9.7 The Design Scenario 9.8 Introducing Aesthetics 9.9 Iconography: Image and Meaning 9.10 Exploratory Comps 10 Microinteractions 10.1 The Stuff of Interaction Design 10.2 Microinteractions and Behavior Design 10.3 Microinteractions and the Design Process 10.4 The Work Product 10.5 The Elements of a Microinteraction 10.6 Triggers 10.6.1 Affordances 10.6.2 Look 10.6.3 Context 10.6.4 Discoverability and Importance 10.6.5 What They Want, When They Want It 10.6.6 Consistency 10.6.7 Surface the Data 10.6.8 Control and Effect 10.7 Rules and Behavior 10.7.1 Know the Goals 10.7.2 Know the Constraints 10.7.3 Know the Context 10.7.4 Assist 10.7.5 Smart Defaults 10.7.6 Absorb Complexity 10.7.7 Perceived Simplicity and Operational Simplicity 10.7.8 Prevent Errors 10.7.9 Age Gracefully 10.7.10 Behavioral Orchestration 10.7.11 Maintain User Flow 10.7.12 Action Language Cohesion 10.7.13 Responsiveness 10.7.14 Flow and Sense 10.7.15 The Brand Experience 10.8 Feedback Considerations 10.8.1 Appropriate Mapping 10.8.2 Illuminate Behavior, Yet Don’t Over Inform 10.8.3 Inform at the Right Time 10.8.4 Make Microcopy Clear 10.8.5 Don’t Be Arbitrary 10.8.6 Be Considerate 10.8.7 Less Is More 10.8.8 Use the Overlooked 10.8.9 Personality 10.8.10 Agee With Context 10.9 Forms of Feedback 10.9.1 Indicators 10.9.2 Text 10.9.3 Image-Based Feedback 10.9.4 Animated Feedback 10.9.5 Auditory Feedback 10.9.6 Tactile and Somatosensory Feedback 10.9.7 Multi-modal Feedback 10.10 High Fidelity Wireframes 10.11 Physical Refinement 10.12 Spot Prototyping 10.13 Interaction Scenario 10.14 Style Analysis 10.15 Icon Families 10.16 Critical Interfaces 11 Behavior 11.1 Considering Complex Behaviors 11.2 Identify Objects 11.3 Identify Opportunities 11.4 Identify Goals 11.5 Instructionize the Behavior 11.6 Diagramming Behaviors 11.7 Diagramming Complex Behaviors 11.8 Designing from Scratch 11.9 Behavior Considerations 11.10 Black Boxing 11.11 State Tables 11.12 Prototyping Behavior 11.13 Working Prototypes 11.14 Behavior Testing and Feedback 11.15 Continuing the Aesthetic Effort 11.16 Aesthetic Disruption 11.16.1 Reduce 11.16.2 Switch Aesthetics 11.16.3 Master Copy 11.16.4 Be Dramatic 11.17 Refine Your Disruptions 11.18 Icon Refinement 12 Aesthetics 12.1 The Work Product 12.2 Typography 12.3 Picture and Text 12.4 Iconography 12.5 Modularity 12.6 Separation 12.7 Figure-Ground 12.8 Reduce 12.9 Hierarchy 12.10 Negative Space 12.11 Proximity 12.12 Alignment 12.13 Layout in General 12.14 Grid 12.15 Liquid Layouts 12.16 Design Responsively 12.17 Consider Use 12.18 Context 12.19 Tactility 12.20 Arrange Control Appropriately – Fitt’s Law 12.21 Association and Comparison of Content and Control 12.22 Affordances 12.23 Call to Action 12.24 Orchestration and Flow 12.25 Consistency 12.26 Color 12.27 Color, Material, Finish 12.28 Dimensional Coherence 12.29 Standing Out and Fitting In 12.30 Brand Coherence 12.31 Structural Aesthetics and Dynamic Range 12.32 Surprising Usability 12.33 Ockham’s Razor 12.34 Interface Guidelines, Again 12.35 Accessibility Guidelines 12.36 Aesthetic Refinement 12.37 Style Frames 12.38 Style Guides 12.39 The Experience Prototype 12.40 Ozing 13 Expanding Scope 13.1 Why Now? 13.2 The Work Product 13.3 Factorial Iteration 13.4 Context Scoping 13.5 Alternate Cases 13.6 Infrastructure Users 13.7 Consumer Stakeholders 13.8 Extreme Cases 13.9 Handle Extremes with Grace 13.10 Systemic Orchestration 13.11 Interaction Flowboards 13.12 Aesthetic Expansion 13.13 Use Case Prototyping 14 Communication 14.1 Framing the Challenge 14.2 Deliver the Design 14.3 Design Details 14.4 Conclusions 14.5 Installations 14.6 Final Presentation Development 14.6.1 Presentation Preproduction 14.6.2 Pitch Scenario 14.6.3 Commercial Breaks 14.6.4 Pitch Scenario Script 14.6.5 Final Storyboard, Slideshows, and Animatics 14.6.6 Installation Layout and Wall Art 14.6.7 Final Flowboard 14.6.8 Production 14.7 Role of the Installation 14.8 Role of the Wall Art 14.9 Role of the Pitch Scenario 14.10 Role of Appearance Models 14.11 Role of the Presentation Prototype 14.12 The Pitch Presentation 14.13 Takeaways 14.14 Final Delivery 14.15 Further Questions and Responses 14.16 Pitch Orchestration Conclusion Bibliography