I think I really started wondering about the question because there are many approaches to software development that incorporate the strategies the Interaction Design discussions here have taken.
I think in researching this question, the real answer comes from the approach you take to (in my case) software development. I believe users needs in terms of how the interact with the software are just as important as how they interact with the data, so having an "Interaction Designer" is really just a software designer who focuses on requirements from a visual/user interaction perspective. The important thing is that I believe all web applications/web pages to be software, even if there is no input or output. An "Interface Designer" is more likely to be, as I have seen mentioned, someone who comes in later in the process to design screens after requirements have been gathered. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of David Malouf Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 9:36 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interface Design vs Interaction Design To be honest, there may or may not be any difference at all at the level of practice. One term has gained more traction as it has moved away from GUI software design where UI has been prevelant and has been encompassing systems design and hardware interface design as well as service design. In many ways, Interaction design is interface design (but not graphical interface design). It is about the story that is made up of moments of dialog between different interfacing moments made complex through intelligent connections and relationships. To me Interaction Design is an evolution from Interface Design historically. Then academically I think Interaction Design is much more than interface design in many ways. Interface Design really doesn't have academic offerings outside of computer science that I have seen. The closest are interactive design programs that are mostly either computer arts programs or skills certification programs. But Interaction Design especially in the European schools has built itself out of the Industrial Design tradition of design education that combines craft and thinking processes as well as a long history of critique. So your question can be answered in so many ways and most answers are going to be skewed by a persons current context and their community/geography connections to their practice and education. It is basically evolving, but through IxDA and other efforts I would say the direction is as I describe it above. But I'm sure others have other thoughts. -- dave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=34525 ________________________________________________________________ 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 ________________________________________________________________ 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
