The concept of Interaction Design was first proposed by Bill.Moggridge, one of the founders of IDEO, at a conference in 1984. He designed the Compass, the world’s first laptop computer, and is known as the father of interaction design. Interaction design at that time may be different with the current definition of interaction design, but the concept of interaction may be similar: a dialogue between a group of actors that involves thoughtful expressions and comprehensions of the surrounding.
Interaction is a kind of dialogue, whether it is between people or between people and things. There are countless interactions everywhere in our daily life. Drinking water is the interaction between you and the cup; turning on and off the lamp is the interaction between you and the buttons of the lamp. When using our mobile phone, we are doing more types of interaction. Although we just operate on the screen, there are indeed many “invisible” interactions inside. Crawford explains about interaction as “input, process, and output”. Inspired by his words, I would define an interaction a kind of conversation that evoke thoughts and understanding. I will further support my argument here The following two interactive art projects support my opinion
Example 1.https://www.manamana.net/video/detail?id=206533#!en
“Sharing Loneliness” focuses on the loneliness that people are forced to isolate at home during the current COVID.
By collecting the “voices that make you feel lonely” online, the work integrates interactive lighting installations and audio-visual interaction. Through remote interaction, offline participants can change the visual picture of the sound they hear, reflecting the theme of online and offline “sharing” thoughts.
The “Sharing lonliness” by Yuggy is a wonderful interactive artwork that fits my definition. Throughout the interaction process, the audience and the light effects communicate with each other, knowing more about each other and by involving in the same atmosphere. At the same time, by observing the whole process, the artist can have the experience of communicating with the audience in the same feeling. Similarly, the audience can have an indirect dialogue with the artist with the help of light to better understand the artist’s thoughts. Such installation that would evoke thoughts is a great example of interaction.
Example 2.https://www.manamana.net/video/detail?id=207432#!en
This is also a work about this year’s epidemic. The transparent utopia is world with digital imaging, dividing the five symptoms of PTSD patients after the epidemic into five regions. The work is definitely beautiful and delicate, but it is too clear to evoke other feeling or understanding through conversation. Therefore, the interaction in this project does not quite trigger my understanding of interaction.
Reference
Crawford. “What Exactly Is Interactivity.” The Art of Interactivity, pp. 1–6.
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