Interaction design is all around us. Whether or not we're aware of it, we experience it all the time. A new discipline in the design field, interaction design is fundamentally about people-about how we connect with the products and services we use, and through them, with each other. Incorporating elements from product design, communication design, computer science, and other design disciplines, interaction design focuses on the user experience and is ultimately best described as an applied art. We encounter good interaction design when we quickly and easily use an ATM, send a text message to a friend, order a movie using Netflix, or share our photos using Flickr. We encounter poor interaction design when we fumble with the self-service check-out at a grocery store, stand in a long line at the Department of Motor Vehicles, or wait at a bus stop with no idea of when the next bus is coming.Designing for Interaction: Creating Smart Applications and Clever Devices offers the perspective of one of the most respected experts in the field. Dan Saffer carefully defines this new practice, investigates what makes good (and bad) interaction design, explains the process by which good interaction design is produced, and addresses the future of interaction design as both a discipline and way of life. Whether you're an experienced interaction designer or simply curious about how interaction design informs our lives, you'll find much to enlighten you in this thought-provoking book.
