Thoughts on Interaction Design

by Jon Kolko

Interaction Designers are the shapers of behavior. Interaction Designers - whether practicing as Usability Engineers, Visual Interface Designers, or Information Architects - all attempt to understand and shape human behavior. The importance of this profession in business, government, healthcare and society has never been greater, as technological complexity has permeated nearly every aspect of our culture. Thoughts on Interaction Design gives individuals engaged in this profession the dialogue to begin to justify their work to other stakeholders. It provides a framework upon which to build intellectual discourse, and it substantiates the rigorous and unique nature of Interaction Design work. Ultimately, the text exists to better define the professional and theoretical nature of Interaction to provide a definition that encompasses the intellectual facets of the field, the conceptual underpinnings of Interaction Design as a legitimate human-centered field, and the particular meth

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Usability, Professional Development, Reference, Business

155 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published March 23, 2007

Reviews

[Kars · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a pep-talk for interaction designers. It's a good book for those in doubt of the value they have to offer. Not many truly deep thoughts here, apart from the (valuable) point Kolko makes about interaction design being about more than just cosmetics, but in fact behavior. I also liked his ruminations on poetic interactions. But as a practitioner with almost ten years experience under my belt, I was hoping for more remarkable thoughts.

[Jiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm big fan of Jon Kolko's design synthesis methodology as he describes them in various talks online, and in the Exposing the magic of design. However, this book is quite different - it doesn't deal with the 'how to' of interaction design, but rather explores the 'why' from different angles, putting the emphasis on humane-driven, rather than technology-driven interactions.

Specifically, I enjoyed (in no particular order):
- thinking around temporal interactions
- designing products that are authentic and that they look/behave as they are *supposed to* (even if their category never existed before)
- poetic interactions with emphasis on honesty of design, their ability to leave blank spaces for people to fill these gaps with their own selves (now this is getting very close to what Kenya Hara argues in his book White), and their focus on "refined attention to sensory detail"
- well argued explanation how the rigour of process fits together with the expertise of the designer (which for me is great model how to understand the concept of design mastery)

As with every book that don't focus on the 'how' questions and process, I believe that all (interaction) designers, whether they are novices or masters, will be able to benefit from this book, although they will most likely benefit more from different parts of this book.

[UX Book Club Philly]

Save the date! We'll be discussing the book Wednesday, August 25th at Red Tettemer (1 South Broad St). Jon Kolko will be skyping in to discuss his thoughts on interaction design live, so have your questions and comments ready.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

well constructed insight about the UX status quo and how it corresponds with other fields and departments

[Natalía Papadopoúlou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughts on interaction design... the book: it’s been years and some things got outdated. Some others didn’t, like the need to solve wicked problems.

[Ninakix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd never actually got through this book, and Jon Kolko is somewhat of a minor god in the design world, so I was expecting a lot. Unfortunately, it feels a little dull, and a little confused on who the audience is, precisely. That in itself is frustrating, because you find yourself constantly having to switch "hats" and perspectives, but not in a way that makes you explore an issue deeper, but rather, just struggling to understand what the point is. I think this is partly a result of the goal of the book - to define and articulate what interaction design is, which is noble in theory, but in practice, just isn't interesting to me. I don't want to know what interaction design is, I want to figure out how to become better at it.

[Nathanael Coyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every UX designer should read this book. The word "Thoughts" in the title is apt - Jon meanders through a whole range of topics, but to a depth of academic yet interesting analysis unmatched in other publications relating to design. Very articulate and highly readable. You'll either finish this book nodding your head and feeling more like a professional designer or you'll feel overwhelmed and realise all you do is draw pretty pictures.

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not used to reading books with two columns on the page and that made it harder for me to stay involved in the book. (I notice I had the same problem with that iPad book that did the same two columns per page format). So I ended up skimming sections mainly because of the layout. Content-wise the book had a lot of interesting points and made me think. I really liked it and wished I could have stayed focused while reading it.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely. I find that it makes one of the most compelling cases for Interaction Design because it links the technical and the personal. That is, design examples familiar in real life are explicitly linked -- the lightbulb goes off. Additionally, some of the advice in here is understated and practical. In all, an engaging and intelligent read.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to get an idea of the interaction design industry. I am a graphic designer looking into how I may transition to IxD field, and this book was a great read. It was mixed with examples and theory of IxD. I would recommend it to novice interaction designers or just someone that is curious about the industry.

[Stacia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kolko takes himself way too seriously, apart from the odd and even slightly amusing (though mostly unrelated) images. I am comfortable enough in my job and my talents that I don't require this kind of pick-me-up. I'm not saying he's wrong, it's just that this book was a real drag to read because he comes off so high and mighty. The whole thing really grated on me.

[Mike Bell · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was too much justification for the discipline to be an enjoyable read. It does define UX, IA and other forms of interaction design. It also ties business success to design and the emphasis on the end user. Nice glossary of terms. If you want a book that makes you feel UX is important, this is a good one.

[Arganka Yahya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the book is not for everyone and not that practical (as the author stated in the introduction). The book helps explain what is interaction design and the misunderstanding about the field. It defines design as a dialogue between human and things. On the later chapter Kolko shared his view about shifting from profit to social impact in solving wicked problems.

[Jaelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some new insights for me on how to think of interaction design as more than just usability. I especially liked the authors aspirations for how IxD can be applied to everything from designing beautiful technology interfaces to designing social innovation.

[Miguel Tokumoto · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a non-designer this is a really good book. It shows a clear way of problem solving not available to practitioners from other fields such as advertising and business in general.

[Mateus Pinheiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on Interaction Design: John's view is simple, concise and undeniable. This is a must read for anyone working in the Design industry.

[Shenyu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does have some impressive insights but quite incomprehensible to me due to some abstract concepts and rarely used words.

[justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

i designed and wrote some of it.

[Mike Hales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stimulating, intriguing and well written, a pleasure.

[Thomas Zarzecki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of design synthesis. The what and why.