On Dec 23, 2007, at 11:32 AM, David Malouf wrote: > The last point which comes from a private back and forth is that it > seems some people are confusing "aesthetics" with "visual > aesthetics". In interaction design aesthetics include many points of > sensory & behavioral contacts and in some cases include points of > no-contact. But isn't that my bigger point. How can we have a > discipline where we can even discuss our unique angle on aesthetics > unless we actually agree that aesthetics play a core role in what we > do?
<semantics> To answer Dave, aesthetics plays a huge role in what we do, but they live on the surface. It's the qualities of an interaction that dives deeper and allows us to discuss an interaction in a common manner. In my mind, aesthetics implies the subjective, where as qualities implies the objective. </semantics> The one thing that has been missing in the last few threads on design, is that we don't explicitly discuss the form of an interaction. Because an interaction can seem to be intangible we tend to focus solely on the presentation when we do discuss form: the visual interface or the tangible gadget. We need to take the form of an interaction deeper and maybe view it more holistically to possibly define as such: Conversation is the heart of an interaction that is enabled and defined by a multi-dimensional design language which includes the tangible (words, visual representations, physical objects or space) and the intangible (time and behavior). This isn't meant to indicate our roles as designers, but it is a way to describe and think about an interaction as form and what is necessary for an interaction (at least in our context) to take place. We need a way to talk about the output of our design process and tailor the traditional sense of form to fit our needs. By doing this it helps explain the differences of some of the viewpoints on the list, such as is visual design a necessary skill? I'm not saying it is, but visual dimension is typically necessary for an interaction to take place. I wrote more about an interactions form in UX Matters article ironically called "What Puts the Design in Interaction Design". Kevin Kevin Silver Clearwired Web Services 10899 Montgomery, Suite C Albuquerque, NM 87109 office: 505.217.3505 toll-free: 866.430.2832 fax: 505.217.3506 e: [EMAIL PROTECTED] w: www.clearwired.com ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
