Interaction Design used to only account for having the user interact with a site or interface in a linear way. Start at point A, end at point B sort of thing.
Now we engage users in a much more non-linear way. Previously static stories (news articles etc.) are being offered in a multitude of ways, through streaming videos, real-time feedback, comments, sound, etc.
You prefer reading your information? This is possible. Are you more of a visual thinker? Check out the video. Care to listen to the content while working? Stream the audio. Wonder what other people are thinking? Read the comments.
Let's take it a step further...
Hello user! Here's all the information we offer, we'll guess what you're interested in based on your browsing behavior. We'll bubble-up things that you'll find interesting, and we'll allow you to customize our content to fit your needs. Hell, we'll even allow you to not see some of the content you're not interested in. Whatever you want.
Interaction Design is moving into a realm where we have to think of all the possible senses, all the possible preferences, all the differences of all the different users, and it’s slowly becoming the most tailor-made experience you can have with a product, brand or service.
With the broad acceptance of blogs as a legitimate source for information, Web 2.0 tools, social network sites, and the prevalence of broadband, “interaction design” is changing. Everything we do now focuses on designing highly personalized or customized experiences.
It's truly interaction design's time to shine. Today’s interaction designers are looking at the whole thing more holistically. The whole focus has become much more user-centered.
When you enable your users to choose their own path through your content, and allow them to have a highly customizable and personalized experience you can make them feel less like a faceless user and more like a human being, which sometimes we forget that the users accessing our sites, are well… euhm, actual people.
0 comments:
Post a Comment