Interaction design is all about creating a conversation between the user and the product. Just think about an ATM: your goal is to get money from it when you visit the ATM. Now there are three ways by which you can interact with the machine: with the help of voice command, by using the touchpad, with the help of the touchscreen. Interaction design is all about deciding which would be the most optimal way of creating the interaction between the user and the product. Whether to voice command through touchpad or touchscreen. The basic interaction design principles include: 1. Consistency. Over the years, users have become familiar with certain design elements by interacting with the product and interfaces, So the design must be consistent. Consistency is achieved by keeping design elements uniform throughout by making sure that they look and behave the same way. A consistent design makes it easier for users to learn the interface and reduces the probability of misusing it. 2. Minimalism. Design should be simple. Avoid any unnecessary elements. 3. Discoverability. All objects necessary for successful human-computer interaction should be visible and accessible. 4. learnability. Interaction should be easy to learn and remember without facing issues to use it again. 5. conceptual and mental models. They are essential to make a design discoverable and easy to understand. A mental model explains someone’s thought process about how something works in the real world. The mental model differs from person to person. It is based on how the person has interacted with the world. And users base their predictions about how an interface would work bases on their mental models. The conceptual model represents a system that uses concepts and ideas to form said representation. 6. feedback. The design should give a meaningful reaction to every action the user takes. 7. Mapping. In design, mapping is a relationship between two sets of things. It represents which control is connected to what action on the product. 8. Visual hierarchy. It refers to arranging and presenting the design elements to understand the information easily. You can easily influence the user’s perception by making use of various visual characteristics. For example, with the help of using a color contrast, if you want your user to put their attention on certain information, you can highlight it with the help of certain colors, or you can also do it with the help of various font sizes. 9. Affordances and signifiers. 10.constraints. it is about determining ways of restricting user interaction possibilities to make sure that all the specific things are visible to users. You cannot provide endless possibilities to a user. They might get confused. So you have to add constraints into the interface to guide the user in a particular direction.
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