Interaction Design (IXD) is the design discipline that deals with the area in which human beings meet with systems. The interaction designer looks at this meeting and investigates how this could function at its best. This requires knowledge from a combination of several multidisciplinary fields such as ergonomics, human interactions, experience and graphic design, usability, IT and even cognitive psychology.
Interaction Design is the leading thread that integrates the technical typical 'nerdy' capabilities with the capabilities of the design fairy pants to ensure that the product as a whole conforms to the needs of the user, is understood by the user and becomes a pleasureable experience.
Now it becomes even more interesting by adding the word "sustainable".
By the end of the design process, 80% of the total environmental impact of a product has already been determined. This means that the designers have great responsibility when it comes to designing environmental friendly. However, there can be many limitations and external obstructions such as budget restrictions, lack of resources, understanding etc. The challenge is to ask a few questions before drawing the first sketches.
A designer makes design choices.
- How can I make things more pretty?
An interaction designer makes design choices from a user perspective and iterates changes back to the user.
- How can I make things more user-friendly?
In addition to this, the sustainable interaction designer considers the impact on the environment of these choices. These could be a positive or negative.
- What will happen to the product after its lifecycle?
- Which materials are being used and where do they come from?
- What information should be visualised and how so that the user is more likely to choose the environmental friendly options?
Sustainable Interaction Design is a new area and still needs to be shaped and explored. Companies such as Digital Eskimo are the pioneers in sustainable design. Check their website for more information.
