There’s a fine line between an interaction that works and one that is unusable. Interaction design principles help bridge the divide.
Well-executed interaction design plays a huge role in the implementation of great UX, and is indisputably one of the fundamentals of UX design principles.
‘Unusable’ means “I’m moving on,” and no matter how ‘good looking’ the visual design — how fancy that animation is, mess up the interaction design and your UX is kaput. Get it right and you’ll be well on your way to a much better UX even if the aesthetics fall short. The product will have a much better chance of succeeding, which in turn contributes to the bottom line.
Interaction design (IxD) is defined by the Interaction Design Association (IxDA) as “the structure and behavior of interactive systems. Interaction designers strive to create meaningful relationships between people and the products and services they use, from computers to mobile devices to appliances and beyond.”
“Experience is critical, for it determines how fondly people remember their interactions.” — Don Norman in “The Design of Everyday Things.”
Following interaction design principles contributes immensely to great interaction design, which in turn will contribute to the experience.
It’s possible that all of today’s devices and tech could be replaced with something entirely different overnight, yet because of its lasting principles, great interaction design would still be achievable. Those constant principles are about what motivates people, their behavior and how they think.
Imagine if every door handle on every door worked differently. For one you would have to push first into the door then down; for another you’d have to pull up instead of pressing down, and yet another you’d have to pull up twice and then down — a total disaster. In fact, the phrase “turn the door handle” assumes there is only one way to do it.
Nobody likes being beaten over the head by cries of “follow the rules,” but truly excellent interaction design relies on a set of standards, best practices, conventions and rules-of-thumb (heuristics). It’s not squishy science, they form the bedrock of IxD and make interaction possible with the least amount of friction. Interface standards don’t stifle creativity — they are not hard and fast rules, but foundational guidelines that help a designer establish a ‘usable and familiar design’ base from which to innovate.
Great UI design achieves pure user delight by combining basic UI design principles with goal-driven interaction design.