Interactive verses User Interface Design

If you are just beginning to read my blog, here is the first post that briefly describes the purpose.


With all the research that I am doing for thesis (admittedly out of order) I figured that one main point I need to distinguish about my design solution is which route I will take.

Interactive Design


According to use-design.com, interaction design aims to define and facilitate interaction between human beings by means of a product or a service. It focuses on the possibilities to create and encourage behavior facilitating an exchange between people.


We can therefore see interaction design on two levels:
. either between a user and a system;
. or between different users, in which case we speak about human interaction or “social interaction”.

Interaction design focuses on human behavior. It heavily leans on the material gathered during the observation phase. In general these observations are conducted by human factors specialists.  In the conceptual phase interaction design aims at pushing back the limits of known cognitive systems and to offer an optimized user experience.

Interaction design is not necessarily related to technological aspects, contrary to user interface design. It can touch upon a whole variety of means and carriers, not necessarily information technology.

User Interface Design

(Again) according to use-design.com, user interface design aims to enhance the visual, usability and technological qualities of an interface. It adds to the satisfaction of the person using a product or a service.


Six main qualities of a successful user interface:

1. usefulness: are user’s needs satisfied by the interface functionality?
2. learnability: how easy is it for the user to fulfill basic tasks when using the system for the first time?
3. efficiency: after the user knows the interface, how fast is s/he able to accomplish the given tasks?
4. ease of memorization: when the user returns to the interface after a while, how easily does s/he find the various functions again?
5. reliability: is the interface conceived in such a way that the user makes as few mistakes as possible?
6. user-friendliness : does the user like using the interface?