"Interaction design" is a useful fuzzy abstraction, much like "Information Architecture" or even "Design". Useful in the sense that:
- it allows people who do somewhat overlapping similar stuff to get together around this title and discuss things, ie. it allows groups to form. - it allows these people to communicate to non-members of this group that they're needed (note I didn't say what for). - and there's more, but gotta run Note you'll never agree on a definition, just like (but worse than) you'll never agree on the definition of "Christian". Peter On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 3:26 PM, Dan Saffer <d...@odannyboy.com> wrote: > I'm stunned no one has commented on this Core77 article yet: > > < > http://www.coroflot.com/creativeseeds/2009/03/five_things_interaction_design.asp > > > > "I went to Interaction09 in Vancouver with an intense personal mission to > nail down a clear definition of Interaction Designer, and what abilities are > needed in order to be one. Almost every time I asked (and I asked a lot of > times), the answer was "I have no idea." Which is funny, because several > hundred people with that title gathered together in rooms every day of the > conference to agree that the work they were doing was necessary, and worthy > of attention and responsibility (much as people do at any other professional > conference). > > Playing devil's advocate, this raises the Wizard of Oz question: are they > really doing something new, unique, and especially useful, once you pull > back the curtain? Or are Interaction Designers merely the beneficiaries of a > fad, like so many mediocre Seattle bands that got snapped up by labels in > the early 90s, by virtue of where they happened to live (I'm talking to you, > Candlebox)? It's easy to read things like the IxDA website's definition of > the field with a cynical eye, and conclude that intentional obfuscation is > part of the profession's appeal: > > Interaction design (IxD) is a professional discipline that illuminates > the relationship between people and the interactive products they use. > While interaction design has a firm foundation in the theory, practice, > and methodology of traditional design, its focus is on defining the > complex dialogues that occur between people and interactive devices of > many types -- from computers to mobile communications devices to > appliances. > > Ah, they define complex dialogues. Got it. About time someone started doing > that." > > > Another piece of what I would consider bad PR for our profession. > > > Dan > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > -- me: http://petervandijck.com blog: http://poorbuthappy.com/ease/ global UX consulting: http://290s.com free travel guides: http://poorbuthappy.com Belgium: (+32) 03/325 88 70 Skype id: peterkevandijck ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
