Temporality in interaction design

Abstract

In this paper we argue that temporal aspects of interactions have not yet received enough attention in interaction design research. We find this lack of concern to negatively influence both interaction design practice as well as research. This paper is therefore a first attempt to explore and examine potential techniques that might be usable to describe and analyze temporality in interactions. We first discuss some existing research when it comes to temporal issues in interaction design research. Then we explore and propose some alternative ways to examine and describe temporal patterns of interaction. We propose two forms of descriptions that feature both visual and verbal components. We present a small study where these tools are used. Based on these studies we discuss in more detail the benefits of the proposed approach and how the approach con be developed and refined. We end with a brief discussion on the potential benefits of developing a greater awareness of and tools for studying temporality in the field.