Interaction technique: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Method by which a user may do some action in a computer}}

[[Image:Foldndrop.png|thumb|right|Fold n' Drop, a [[Crossing-based interface|crossing-based]] interaction technique for dragging and dropping files between overlapping windows.]]

An '''interaction technique''', '''user interface technique''' or '''input technique''' is a combination of [[Computer hardware|hardware]] and [[software]] elements that provides a way for computer users to accomplish a single task. For example, one can go back to the previously visited page on a Web browser by either [[Point-and-click|clicking]] a [[Button (computing)|button]], pressing a [[Computer keyboard keys|key]], performing a [[mouse gesture]] or uttering a [[Hands-free computing|speech command]]. It is a widely used term in [[human-computer interaction]]. In particular, the term "new interaction technique" is frequently used to introduce a novel user interface design idea.

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=== The user's view ===

From the user's perspective, an interaction technique is a way to perform a single computing task and can be informally expressed with user instructions or [[Scenario (computing)|usage scenarios]]. For example, "to delete a file, right-click on the file you want to delete, then click on the delete item".

=== The designer's view ===

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<div id="level of granularity"></div>

=== Level of granularity ===

=== Level of granularity ===

One extant cause of confusion in the general discussion of interaction is a lack of clarity about levels of granularity<ref name="spdh">Sedig, K., Parsons, P., Dittmer, M., & Haworth, R. (2013). Human–centered interactivity of visualization tools: Micro– and macro–level considerations. In W. Huang (Ed.), Handbook of Human-Centric Visualization (pp. 717–743). Springer, New York.</ref>. Interaction techniques are usually characterized at a low level of granularity--not necessarily at the lowest level of physical events, but at a level that is technology-, platform-, and/or implementation-dependent. For example, interaction techniques exist that are specific to mobile devices, touch-based displays, traditional mouse/keyboard inputs, and other paradigms--in other words, they are dependent on a specific technology or platform. In contrast, viewed at higher levels of granularity, interaction is not tied to to any specific technology or platform. The interaction of 'filtering', for example, can be characterized in a way that is technology-independent--e.g., performing an action such that some information is hidden and only a subset of the original information remains. Such an interaction could be implemented using any number of techniques, and on any number of platforms and technologies<ref name="sp"></ref>. See also the discussion of [[#interaction patterns]] below.

One extant cause of confusion in the general discussion of interaction is a lack of clarity about levels of granularity.<ref name="spdh">Sedig, K., Parsons, P., Dittmer, M., & Haworth, R. (2013). [http://insight.uwo.ca/papers/HCV-IVT2013.pdf Human–centered interactivity of visualization tools: Micro– and macro–level considerations]. In W. Huang (Ed.), Handbook of Human-Centric Visualization (pp. 717–743). Springer, New York.</ref>. Interaction techniques are usually characterized at a low level of granularity--notgranularity—not necessarily at the lowest level of physical events, but at a level that is technology-, platform-, and/or implementation-dependent. For example, interaction techniques exist that are specific to mobile devices, touch-based displays, traditional mouse/keyboard inputs, and other paradigms--inparadigms—in other words, they are dependent on a specific technology or platform. In contrast, viewed at higher levels of granularity, interaction is not tied to to any specific technology or platform. The interaction of 'filtering', for example, can be characterized in a way that is technology-independent--eindependent—e.g., performing an action such that some information is hidden and only a subset of the original information remains. Such an interaction could be implemented using any number of techniques, and on any number of platforms and technologies.<ref name="sp">< /ref>. See also the discussion of [[#interaction patterns]] below.

== Interaction tasks and ___domain objects ==

An [[interaction task]] is "the unit of an entry of information by the user",<ref name="foley"/> such as entering a piece of text, issuing a command, or specifying a 2D position. A similar concept is that of [[___domain object]], which is a piece of application data that can be manipulated by the user.<ref name="mbl">M. Beaudouin-Lafon (2000) [https://kedwards.com/classes/AY2016/cs4470_fall/readings/instrumental-interaction.pdf Instrumental interaction: an interaction model for designing post-WIMP user interfaces]. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.</ref>

Interaction techniques are the glue between physical I/O devices and interaction tasks or ___domain objects.<ref name="mbl"/><ref name="dragicevic">P. Dragicevic and J-D Fekete (2004) [http://www.academia.edu/download/31801023/ICon-AVI04.pdf The Input Configurator toolkit: towards high input adaptability in interactive applications]{{dead link|date=July 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}. In Proceedings of the Working Conference on Advanced Visual interfaces.</ref> Different types of interaction techniques can be used to map a specific device to a specific ___domain object. For example, different [[Handwriting recognition|gesture alphabets]] exist for [[Pen computing|pen-based]] text input.

In general, the less compatible the device is with the ___domain object, the more complex the interaction technique.<ref name="buxton">W. Buxton (1986) [http://www.billbuxton.com/eye.html There's More to Interaction than Meets the Eye: Some Issues in Manual Input]. In Norman, D. A. and Draper, S. W. (Eds.), User Centered System Design:

Input. In Norman, D. A. and Draper, S. W. (Eds.), User Centered System Design:

New Perspectives on Human–Computer Interaction. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale,

New Jersey, 319–337.</ref> For example, using a mouse to specify a 2D point involves a trivial interaction technique, whereas using a mouse to rotate a 3D object requires more creativity to design the technique and more lines of code to implement it.

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<div id="interaction patterns"></div>

== Interaction patterns ==

While interaction techniques are typically technology-, platform-, and/or implementation-dependent (see [[#level of granularity]] above), human-computer or human-information interactions can be characterized at higher levels of abstraction that are independent of particular technologies and platforms. At such levels of abstraction, the concern is not precisely how an interaction is performed; rather, the concern is a conceptual characterization of what the interaction is, and what the general utility of the interaction is for the user(s). Thus, any single interaction pattern may be instantiated by any number of interaction techniques, on any number of different technologies and platforms. Interaction patterns are more concerned with the timeless, invariant qualities of an interaction.<ref name="sp">Sedig, K. & Parsons, P. (2013). [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul_Parsons3/publication/235793669_Interaction_Design_for_Complex_Cognitive_Activities_with_Visual_Representations_A_Pattern-Based_Approach/links/0046351cf18aa9ec92000000/Interaction-Design-for-Complex-Cognitive-Activities-with-Visual-Representations-A-Pattern-Based-Approach.pdf Interaction design for complex cognitive activities with visual representations: A pattern-based approach]. AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, 5(2), 84–133.</ref>

== Visualization technique ==

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== Research and innovation ==

A large part of research in [[human-computer interaction]] involves exploring easier-to-learn or more efficient interaction techniques for common computing tasks. This includes inventing new ([[post-WIMP]]) interaction techniques, possibly relying on methods from [[user interface design]], and assessing their efficiency with respect to existing techniques using methods from [[experimental psychology]]. Examples of scientific venues in these topics are the [http://www.acm.org/uist UIST] and the [[CHI (conference)|CHI]] conferences. Other research focuses on the specification of interaction techniques, sometimes using formalisms such as [[Petri nets]] for the purposes of [[formal verification]].<ref name="schyn">Schyn, A., Navarre, D., Palanque, P., and Porcher Nedel, L. 2003. [https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1063690 Formal description of a multimodal interaction technique in an immersive virtual reality application]. In Proceedings of the 15th French-Speaking Conference on Human–Computer interaction on 15eme Conference Francophone Sur L'interaction Homme–Machine (Caen, France, November 25–28, 2003). T. Baudel, Ed. IHM 2003, vol. 51. ACM, New York, NY, 150–157.</ref>

== See also ==

* [[3D_interaction3D interaction#3D_interaction_techniques3D interaction techniques|3D interaction techniques]]

* [[List of human-computer interaction topics#Interaction styles|Interaction styles]]

* [[3D_interaction#3D_interaction_techniques|3D interaction techniques]]

* [[User_interfaceUser interface#Types|Types of user interface]]

* [[List_of_human-computer_interaction_topics#Interaction_styles|Interaction styles]]

* [[User_interface#Types|Types of user interface]]

* [[Input devices]]

* [[Interaction Design]]

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* [[Information Visualization]]

* [[Visual Analytics]]

* [[Widget (GUI)]]

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== External links ==

{{DEFAULTSORT:Commonscat|Interaction Techniqueanalysis}}

* [http://www.acm.org/uist/archive/html/videos.html UIST video archive]

* [http://designinginterfaces.com/ Patterns for effective interaction design]

[[Category:User interface techniques| ]]

== References ==

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Interaction Technique}}

[[Category:User interface techniques]]

[[Category:User interfaces]]

[[Category:Graphical user interfaces]]

[[Category:Human–computer interaction]]

[[Category:InformationData Visualizationand information visualization|technique]]