My initial definition of interaction and its evolvement
Back to the time of the group project, my definition of interaction is a responsive process includes two or more subjects to get input, digest and produce output. After my experience developing and exploring the midterm project, my definition of interaction evolved that those subjects will have effects on each other. In my initial definition, I only considered the process of the process itself and I didn’t take the results of the process into account. During the user test of my midterm project, I found that users always started to have their own feelings after using the device. Their emotions and judgments for my project arose in their minds. Those feelings were important because they showed the effects of my project on them. I do think I need to take the results of the process into my definition of interaction because they still belong to it though at that time the process might stop. So now my definition of interaction is a responsive process includes two or more subjects to get input, digest and produce output, which will have effects on each other.
Research for interactive projects
Interactive Mario Mushroom Block
This projects caught my eyes because it is both interesting and interactive. I played Mario before and know the magic of the question box. So it is interesting to see it in real life with its original function: push it upward and you will get the mushroom. Also, it satisfies my definition of interaction that it includes a responsive process between the user and the device with input, digesting and output. More importantly, there will be effects. In the video, the author only shows one of his arms and hands to give you the feeling that you are actually pushing the question box. When I was watching the video, I felt pleasantly surprised after the mushroom jumping out of the box. “This is cool” was my voice in my mind and this was the result of the process. My emotion arose and I also started to have my own judgments that which part should be improved.
In Servo We Trust!
I think this project doesn’t line up my definition of interaction. It does include a responsive process with many subjects. However, the input and output are not clear and the process will be affected and interrupted by other people. This will make people confused and regard it as an art but not an interaction.
My “new” definition of interaction
After the preparatory research and analysis for two “interactive” projects, my definition of interaction evolves again. Now it is a responsive process that includes two or more subjects to get clear input, digest and produce clear output which will have effects on each other. In the article “What is interaction?”, the authors emphasize that this word is a workhorse for our field that it contains so many kinds. However, what I want to do is to find its main characters. Regardless of its types, forms and even ideologies, the focus of interaction is always the responsive process, the subjects, and the effects. Based on this, more details of the process should be given, like its input and output should be clear. If not, the concept of interaction will be weakened in the process. These main characters form my definition of interaction and it has kept evolving to the present one: a responsive process that includes two or more subjects to get clear input, digest and produce clear output, which will have effects on each other.