Posts by Kriti Kanda

Our responsibility as Interaction designers

As interaction designers, we have an ethical responsibility to ensure the technologies we create are not just functional but also serve the greater good of the people who use them. With AI becoming increasingly integrated into our designs, this responsibility grows even more critical. AI-powered systems can offer incredible benefits, but they can also amplify biases, compromise privacy, and erode trust if not designed with care. Our job isn’t just to make interfaces attractive or efficient—it’s to build systems that respect users’ autonomy, protect their data, and foster transparency in how decisions are made by AI. For instance, we need to think critically about how algorithms might unintentionally favor certain groups over others and take steps to prevent harm.

Another key responsibility is ensuring that users truly understand the AI systems they’re interacting with. Misleading designs—like chatbots that appear human or AI-powered decisions that lack clear explanations—can confuse users and reduce accountability. We must advocate for clarity, providing users with the tools and information they need to make informed decisions. This includes building in explainability for AI systems and designing safeguards that empower users to challenge or opt out of automated decisions when necessary. At the heart of ethical interaction design is empathy: creating with the end user’s well-being, dignity, and humanity in mind. By doing so, we not only create better products but also contribute to a healthier, more equitable society.

How Pace Layer’s affect IXD work

Pace Layers help us understand how different parts of a system change at different speeds, and this idea is super useful in interaction design. For example, the core technology layer—like hardware or network infrastructure—evolves slowly, while the user interface or trends in app design can change rapidly. This means interaction designers need to create experiences that feel fresh and relevant now but also stay adaptable as trends shift. It’s a balancing act: designing for fast-moving layers like aesthetics while keeping an eye on slower layers, like the foundational tech, to ensure the work remains functional and scalable over time. Understanding these layers helps designers future-proof their work while staying flexible for the next big change.

Our future work and lives with AI

Reflecting on what I saw at the Computer History Museum’s Chatbots Decoded exhibit, it’s clear that AI is poised to transform how we work and live in profound ways over the next decade. The exhibit highlighted how AI, starting with early chatbots like ELIZA, has evolved into powerful systems capable of natural, human-like interaction. This progression suggests that AI will increasingly handle routine and complex tasks, making workplaces more efficient while potentially redefining traditional roles. At the same time, it raises questions about ethics, trust, and how humans and AI can collaborate harmoniously.

Looking ahead, AI’s integration into our lives will likely be multi-faceted. It could democratize access to education through personalized learning, revolutionize healthcare by offering predictive diagnostics, and make daily experiences more seamless with intelligent assistants. However, the exhibit also underscored critical challenges—like bias in AI systems and the need for thoughtful regulation—that society must address to ensure this technology uplifts rather than disrupts. The key takeaway is that AI’s potential lies not just in its technical capabilities but in how responsibly we choose to develop and use it

iPod / iPhone’s impact on technology and IXD

The iPod and iPhone transformed our relationship with technology by putting powerful, intuitive tools right in our pockets, making tech personal, portable, and indispensable. Before these devices, technology often felt clunky or detached, something you’d sit down at a desk to use. But Apple redefined interaction design with sleek touchscreens, simple gestures, and seamless access to music, apps, and the internet, all in one device. This shift pushed designers to think about user-friendly interfaces, emotional connection, and how technology fits into daily life. Interaction design now revolves around creating intuitive, human-centered experiences that feel natural and enhance how we work, play, and connect—no matter where we are.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 was all about making the internet more interactive and user-driven. Before it, websites were mostly static—users could only read or view content but couldn’t actively participate. With Web 2.0, features like blogs, social media platforms, wikis, and comment sections let people create, share, and collaborate online. It introduced things we take for granted today, like user profiles, likes, and real-time updates. The big shift was that the web became a two-way street instead of a one-way broadcast. Today, we’re moving into Web 3.0, which focuses more on decentralization, personalization, and immersive experiences, like AI-driven interactions and virtual worlds, making the web feel even more intelligent and interconnected.

Use of Design Systems

While design systems and interaction design patterns provide frameworks that emphasize consistency, they don’t necessarily stifle creativity. Instead, these tools can free designers to focus on innovative problem-solving by simplifying repetitive aspects of the design process. When used flexibly as guidelines rather than strict rules, design systems allow designers to deliver both reliable and user-friendly interfaces without limiting their creative vision. However, some designers may argue that over-reliance on these systems may make it tempting to default to familiar solutions, potentially limiting exploration of creative design concepts. Therefore, I believe that it is important to balance structured guidelines with a willingness to adapt, in order to maintain creativity within these systems.

Transition from Web Design to UX Design

The transition from traditional web design to user experience design was driven by technological advancements and a shift toward user-centered approaches. Initially, web design focused on creating functional websites, often prioritizing brand aesthetics and simple interactions. However, as technology evolved to support more interactive and personalized experiences, designers recognized the importance of focusing on the overall user journey, from accessibility to emotional engagement. UX design emerged to address these needs, emphasizing empathy, usability testing, and iterative design based on user feedback to ensure more intuitive, inclusive, and enjoyable digital experiences. This shift also mirrored broader changes in business strategies, where providing a high-quality user experience became key to customer retention and satisfaction.

Government’s responsibility for inventing new technology


All three—governments, corporations, and open-source communities—have important roles to play in inventing new technology, and ideally, they should work together. Governments are well-suited for funding high-risk, foundational research (like the internet) because they can prioritize public benefit over profits. Corporations, on the other hand, excel at scaling and commercializing technology, making it accessible and useful in everyday life. Meanwhile, open-source communities bring transparency, innovation, and collaboration to tech development, often making it more inclusive and adaptable. By combining the strengths of each—government funding for risky projects, corporate resources for scaling, and open-source for collaboration and accountability—we can build technology that benefits everyone more sustainably.

Evolution of GUI over the years

Graphical user interfaces have come a long way from simple text commands to the vibrant, icon-based systems pioneered by the Apple Lisa and early Windows. These early interfaces introduced the familiar setup we still use today—desktop layouts, icons, and overlapping windows. Over time, the designs have shifted from realistic, textured icons to a flatter, cleaner look that’s focused on simplicity and accessibility across devices. Even with all these changes, the basic layout of windows, icons, and menus hasn’t really changed much. Now, there’s an opportunity for GUIs to go further by adding more AI-driven personalization, adapting to users’ needs in real time, and making accessibility a bigger priority to serve a more diverse user base.

Lucy Suchman’s work

Lucy Suchman’s work at Xerox PARC changed the way we think about designing technology by focusing on how real people interact with it. In her research, she observed how employees struggled to use Xerox copiers, even though the machines were intended to be user-friendly. She found that there was often a gap between how engineers thought people would use the copiers and how they actually did. Her observations highlighted that understanding users’ real-world behaviors and contexts is crucial for creating technology that genuinely works for them.

She pushed for a shift in tech design—moving from just making things “intuitive” to truly understanding how people integrate technology into their everyday lives. Her approach emphasized that effective design comes from observing and learning from users, not just assuming they’ll adapt to a product. This user-centered approach remains foundational in fields like human-computer interaction, reminding us that the key to good design is putting people first.

Thoughts on the Swissnex exhibition

The exhibition at Swissnex, showcasing work from students at the Geneva University of Art & Design, is a fresh and engaging look at how AI and art can come together. The students have used AI in unexpected ways, creating everything from generative art pieces to interactive installations that challenge how we think about creativity. Although one of the projects featuring AI-generated movie scenes felt a bit unpolished, the other artworks far exceeded my expectations and opened up new perspectives on viewing art. It’s the kind of work that made me pause and think about what happens when AI steps into the role of co-creator.

The exhibition’s home at Swissnex feels like the perfect fit for these innovative projects. It’s a space that’s all about blending science, technology, and creativity, and this show captures that spirit. The variety of approaches on display—some exploring AI’s storytelling potential, others questioning its ethical challenges—sparks conversations about how AI is shaping the world around us. Ultimately, the exhibition paints a picture of a future where technology and art collaborate to open up new ways of seeing and creating.

Xerox Star and its impact on computing

In 1981, Xerox launched the Xerox Star, an office computer that changed the course of modern computing.

The graphical user interface (GUI) with windows, menus, and icons was initially introduced by the Star system, which improved computer accessibility and user-friendliness. It eliminated the need for complicated command-line inputs by enabling users to interact with computers using simple point-and-click actions. The desktop metaphor offered by the Star, which allowed users to access files and programs as though they were real things, had a direct impact on later operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and the Apple Macintosh, laying the groundwork for modern personal computing.

The Star was innovative for its day, focusing on resource sharing and networking even before the GUI. The Star introduced a new level of collaborative working by enabling workstations in an office to connect, share files, and access shared resources like printers using Ethernet. It was one of the most influential computers in history, even though it was not a commercial success, due to its advances in GUI, networking, and document-centric design, which set the foundation for later operating systems.

Douglas Engelbart’s Demo and its importance

Douglas Engelbart and his team’s demonstration at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in 1968 was a game-changer in the world of computing and how we interact with computers. This event marked the first time we saw practical uses of concepts like the graphical user interface (GUI), hypertext, and real-time collaboration. Engelbart introduced the “oN-Line System” (NLS), which included tools such as the mouse, text editing features, and the ability to link documents together through hypertext. These innovations moved us away from traditional command-line interfaces, making computers much easier to use for everyone. By emphasizing the importance of enhancing human abilities and teamwork, Douglas set the foundation for the modern computing environment we rely on today.

Thoughts on Computer History Museum presentation

Fei-Fei Li’s presentation at the Computer History Museum really opened my eyes to the world of artificial intelligence, especially with her work on ImageNet. One major takeaway was how important data is for AI. ImageNet is a huge collection of labeled images that helped train machine learning models, leading to big advances in how computers understand images. This shows that having the right data can make a huge difference in what AI can do.

Her emphasis on making AI ethical and human-centered also caught my attention. FeiFei highlights that although AI is capable of amazing things,, it should be designed with people in mind. It involves more than just automating work; it also involves enhancing lifestyles and meeting societal demands. This message really resonates with me as I think about how I design interactive experiences.

Here are some ways her insights will influence my practice in interaction design:

  1. Value of data: Knowing the importance of data makes it clear to me that inclusive and varied data is needed to power AI systems.
  2. Human-centered Approach:  Fei-Fei Li’s emphasis on empathy serves as a helpful reminder to me to design with users in mind. My goal is to make sure that AI technologies improve user experience instead of making it more difficult.
  3. Long-term Impact: Her call to consider the societal effects of AI reminds me that my design choices have consequences. When I design interactive experiences, I have to consider things like privacy and equity to make sure that everyone benefits from it.

Gestalt’s Principles and Fitt’s Laws in IXD

Gestalt principles and Fitt’s laws are very useful for designers to keep in mind while designing interactive interfaces.

While making a software, I  would consider Gestalt’s Law of Proximity to ensure that I am grouping elements that have similar usage or are used together more often, to make navigation more intuitive, while also maintaining visual balance within the elements (making grouped elements have similar shape, colors, or visual traits). I would also try to use familiar design patterns as it makes it more intuitive for users to interact with the interface. 

For Fitts’s Law, I would focus on optimizing target size—especially for frequently used actions—by making buttons larger and easier to tap or click, thus reducing the time and effort needed to interact with them. Placing targets closer to the user’s hand position/cursor makes it easier for them to reach, so I would consider keeping elements like menu items either at the screen’s edge to avoid overshooting, or somewhere in the middle, depending on whether it is a mouse driven or touchscreen interface. As linear menus are most common, I would use them and place items according to the frequency of their use. Lastly, I’d be mindful of space between targets to prevent accidental clicks on adjacent buttons, particularly in mobile or touch-based interfaces

Facebook icons vs Egyptian hieroglyphics

The Facebook icon I have chosen is the speech bubble, and from the Egyptian hieroglyphics, I have chosen the ‘Ankh’ symbol. 

  • What’s being communicated?

Facebook’s icons are used to navigate actions within the app, such as navigation between the news feed, notifications, messages, and profile. These icons are minimalistic and symbolic, representing common actions like a “bell” for notifications or a “speech bubble” for messaging.

In contrast, Egyptian hieroglyphics used pictures to convey ideas, words, or sounds. They were a complex writing system with both phonetic and ideographic elements, often used to document religious texts, daily activities, or official decrees.

Both systems are based on visual communication but serve very different purposes. Facebook’s icons aim to quickly guide users through actions, while Egyptian hieroglyphics communicated detailed messages about life, religion, or authority.

In order to understand Facebook icons, the viewer should be  familiar with digital metaphors, where physical objects (bells, speech bubbles) are used to represent concepts such as alerts and communication.

Similarly, in Egyptian hieroglyphics, individuals needed to understand the meaning of various pictographs. The ‘Ankh’ symbol is a teardrop-shaped hoop with a cross connected directly below it, to represent the sun making its path upward and over the horizon, and it symbolizes the many aspects of life, including physical life, eternal life, immortality, death, and reincarnation.

Both systems require users to learn associations between symbols and their meanings, but hieroglyphics were much more extensive and intricate.

  • Metaphors being used:
  1. The bubble speech icon is a metaphor for conversation, derived from the way speech is represented in cartoons or comics
  2. The ‘Ankh’ symbol represents life and external existence, symbolizing vitality.

Both use metaphors derived from physical, familiar objects, but while Facebook’s icons are designed for quick functional interaction, hieroglyphics carried deeper symbolic meanings rooted in the culture’s worldview.

While Facebook’s iconography and Egyptian hieroglyphics serve vastly different purposes, both rely on visual symbols to communicate. Facebook’s icons are streamlined and designed for quick, universal comprehension, whereas Egyptian hieroglyphics required cultural knowledge and carried profound meaning in them. Both systems use metaphors to convey their messages, but in Facebook, the metaphors are more pragmatic, reflecting the app’s focus on function and usability rather than storytelling or spiritual significance.

Lovelace and Gilbreth’s importance in IXD history

Lillian Gilbreth and Ada Lovelace are both important to study to about in IXD history because of their significant contributions to the field.

Lillian played a key role in making technology and work environments more user-friendly. By combining scientific management and psychology, she helped develop ideas that are central to human-computer interaction (HCI) today, particularly user-centered design. Her work on ergonomics led to creating tools and spaces that enhance accessibility and improve the overall experience for workers. She focused on understanding the needs of all employees, including women and people with disabilities. This approach still matters today, as it emphasizes creating designs that are effective but also kind and inclusive.

Ada Lovelace laid the groundwork for how we see technology augmenting human capabilities. Her work with the Analytical Engine showed that machines could do more than just calculations; they could engage in creative activities, which is an important idea in interaction design. Lovelace’s thoughts on programming, such as conditional branching and code reuse, align well with modern design principles that prioritize user involvement and flexibility.