Glossary
Interaction design
What is interaction design?
Interaction design (IxD) is the design of the dialogue between a user and a product, defining how the product behaves in response to user actions through sequences, transitions, feedback, and state changes.
How it works
Interaction design defines controls, feedback, transitions and recovery paths so users can understand what actions are available and what happened after an action. Timing, consistency and clear state changes matter. These are parts of the wider scope of UX design. Visual design contributes to interaction, so the boundary between interaction design and interface design is not absolute.
Five dimensions of interaction design
One teaching framework groups the design questions into
- words (labels and instructions),
- visual representations (icons and images),
- physical objects and space (devices and their setting),
- time (changing media and timing),
- and behavior (actions and responses).
These dimensions help examine the whole interaction.
Applied example
A file-management interface could signal that a drag has started, highlight an eligible drop target, confirm the move and offer undo. Each step answers a different user question: “Am I dragging it?”, “Can I put it here?”, “Did it move?”, and “Can I reverse that?”
Why it matters
Interaction design shapes the moment-to-moment experience of using a product, determining whether it feels responsive, predictable, and natural or laggy, surprising, and frustrating.
Bruce Tognazzini: Design principles require choices suited to the product and task.