UPA北京正在筹办2007世界可用性日活动（WUD）。由于我学的是工业设计专业，和本次活动相关，便积极的参与其中，下面是WUD的介绍：
Introduction of WUD
World Usability Day was founded to ensure that the services and productsimportant to life are easier to access and simpler to use.
40,000 people in 35 countries in 175 cities around the world participated in World Usability Day 2006.
This year's theme: Healthcare
Nov 8th,2007, 2007 World Usability Day
2007 WUD focus for World Usability Day (WUD) is healthcare. Healthcare usability affects every individual throughout his or her entire life. Every day, issues of medical illnesses and diseases, health insurance, nutrition, prescriptions and supplements, healthcare professionals and medical facilities affect how we experience our world and the quality of our life.
Our daily "user experience" is critically affected by healthcare and the usability of all aspects of healthcare.
其中有User Friendly 2007年会论文集翻译工作志愿者的招募，我参与其中，并翻译了一篇文章，这是和我们专业相关度很大的事，能参与其中我感到很荣幸，下面是我翻译的文章，贴出来与大家共享。The Elements of Interaction Design
Published: May 8, 2006
An excerpt from Designing for Interaction: Creating Smart Applications and Clever Devices. ©2006 New Riders.
Other design disciplines use raw materials. Communication designers use basic visual elements such as the line. Industrial designers work with simple 3D shapes such as the cube, the sphere, and the cylinder. For interaction designers, who create products and services that can be digital (software) or analog (a karaoke machine) or both (a mobile phone), the design elements are more conceptual. And yet they offer a powerful set of components for interaction designers to bring to bear on their projects.
Motion
In much the same way that inert gases don’t mingle with other gases, objects that don’t move don’t interact. An interaction is some sort of communication, and communication is about movement: our vocal cords vibrating as we speak, our hands and arms writing or typing as we send email or instant messages, sound and data moving between two entities.
We communicate in many ways and through many different products, from mobile phones to email. Those products and the people who use them generate behavior, and interaction designers are very concerned with behavior: the way that products behave in response to the way that people behave. And all behavior is, in fact, motion: motion colored by attitude, culture, personality, and context. There’s wide variation even in such universal and seemingly simple behaviors such as walking (that’s why, for instance, there’s a need for both high-impact walking shoes and walkers for the elderly), and the designs we create have to understand and account for those variations in motion. Even a simple motion like pressing a key on a keyboard can be difficult if you are elderly or infirm.
Motion is often a trigger for action, as when your finger clicks the button on your mouse. The triggered action (or at least the feedback for that action) is often about motion as well. You click a Web site link, and the page changes. You press a key, and an email window closes. There is motion on your screen.
Without motion, there can be no interaction.
Space
Movement, even on a subatomic level, happens in some sort of space, even if the boundary of that space (as with, say, the Internet) is unclear. Interaction designers work in both 2D and 3D space, whether that space is a digital screen or the analog, physical space we all inhabit.
Most often, interaction design involves a combination of physical and analog spaces. You make a gesture in physical, analog space—for instance, turning a knob on your stereo—and you see the results on its digital display screen. The reverse can, of course, be true as well. You can stream music from your computer through your stereo and into physical space.
Most interaction designers underutilize 3D space on screens. The physical flatness of our monitors and display screens causes us to ignore what the Renaissance painters discovered so long ago: perspective. Objects, even in a 2D space, can appear to move backward and forward in 3D space. Perspective creates, alongside X (height) and Y (width), a Z (depth) axis on which to work. Web sites are notably bad in their use of Z space.
Starbucks® cafes typically make excellent use of physical space, with the ordering area separated from the fulfillment area where customers receive their beverages and those areas separated from the area where people can customize (add milk and sugar and other condiments to) their drinks. Compare that to the typical crush around a single counter of a fast food restaurant.
Space provides a context for motion. Is the action taking place in a quiet office in front of a computer screen or in a crowded, noisy airport in front of a kiosk?
All interactions take place in a space.
Time
All interactions take place over time. Sometimes that time can be near-instantaneous, like the time it takes to click a mouse. Sometimes it can involve very long durations. You can still find online usenet messages (usenet is a sort of bulletin board system) from decades ago.
Movement through space takes time to accomplish. As every gamer will attest, it takes time to press buttons (around 8 milliseconds at the fastest). Even with broadband speeds, it takes time for packets of data to travel from distant servers through the physical wires and perhaps through the air via wireless signal to your computer.
Interaction designers need an awareness of time. Some tasks are complicated and take a long time to complete—for instance, searching for and buying a product. Many e-commerce Web sites require you to log in before purchasing, and that login session will be active for a set time. Imagine if Amazon® or other e-commerce sites timed out every few minutes and required you to log in repeatedly while shopping—it’s unlikely you’d buy much from them. Some travel and concert-ticket Web sites make users race against the clock to enter their credit card information before their selected seats are lost.
Digital time is definitely not human time. Digital time is measured in milliseconds, a single one of which is considerably shorter than the blink of an eye. Changes done by the computer can be so instantaneous that programmers need to program in delays so that humans can detect them.
You can feel the impact of milliseconds, however. Extra milliseconds added to every keystroke or mouse-click would probably make you think your computer is slow because of the tiny delay. Several hundred milliseconds would cause frustration and anger, and a single-second delay each time you pressed a key would probably make your computer unusable.
Time creates rhythm. How fast something pops up on the screen or how long it takes to complete an action like renewing your driver’s license controls the rhythm of the interaction. Games are often about rhythm: how many aliens come at you at any given moment, or how long does it take to complete a level. Rhythm is also an important component of animation: how quickly does a folder open or close on the desktop, how slowly does a drop-down menu slide open. Interaction designers control this rhythm.
Interactions happen over time.
Appearance
How something looks gives us cues as to how it behaves and how we should interact with it. The size, shape, and even weight of mobile devices let us know that they should be carried with us. The sleek black or silver look of digital video recorders like TiVo® devices tell us that they are pieces of electronic equipment and belong alongside stereos and televisions.
Appearance is the major source (texture is the other) of what cognitive psychologist James Gibson, in 1966, called affordances. Gibson explored the concept more fully in his 1979 book The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, but it wasn’t until Don Norman’s seminal book The Psychology of Everyday Things, in 1988, that the term spread into design. An affordance is a property, or multiple properties, of an object that provides some indication of how to interact with that object or with a feature on that object. A chair has an affordance of sitting because of its shape. A button has an affordance of pushing because of its shape and the way it moves (or seemingly moves). The empty space in a cup is an affordance that tells us we could fill the cup with liquid. An affordance (or, technically, a perceived affordance) is contextual and cultural. You know you can push a button because you’ve pushed one before. On the other hand, a person who has never seen chopsticks would be puzzled about what to do with them.
Except to the visually impaired (for whom texture often substitutes), appearance also conveys emotional content. Is this product whimsical or serious? Practical or playful? Appearance can also convey other attributes that may be meaningful: Is the object expensive or cheap? Complicated or simple? Daunting or approachable? Single use or enduring? Structured or casual?
Appearance has many variables for designers to alter
- proportion
- structure
- size
- shape
- weight
- color (hue, value, saturation)
All of these characteristics (and more) add up to appearance, and nearly every design has some sort of appearance, even if that appearance is a simple command line.
Texture
While texture can also be part of the appearance, how an object feels in the hand can convey the same sort information as appearance. Texture, too, can convey affordances. The sensation of an object can provide clues as to how it is to be used as well as when and where. Is it solid or flimsy? Is it fragile or durable? Do the knobs spin or push or both?
Texture can convey emotion as well. A fuzzy plush object conveys a different meaning than a hard metallic one.
Designers can also work with texture variables such as vibration and heat to signify actions. A mobile phone can vibrate when a new message arrives, and one could imagine it growing colder the longer it’s been since a voice-mail message arrived.
Sound
Sound is a small part of most interaction designs, but it can be an important part, especially for ambient devices and alerts. Sounds possess many variables that can convey information as well. You wouldn’t want a loud screech to come out of your computer every time you received email, and a soft whisper wouldn’t exactly cause traffic to move aside for an ambulance.
Sounds are made up of three main components, all of which can be adjusted by a designer:
- pitch—How high in range a sound is. Is it high pitched like a bird’s song or deep like thunder?
- volume—How loud a sound is.
- timbre or tone quality—What type of sound it is. Sounds played at the same volume and pitch can seem very different. Think of a middle C played on a trumpet and one played on a piano.
Sound is underutilized (some would say rightfully so) in interaction design, but even a little bit of sound can make a major difference in a product. Steve Jobs insisted that the wheel on an iPod® make an audible click that could be heard without headphones.
All of these elements of interaction design comprise any interaction designer’s toolkit, and while interaction designers may not consciously manipulate them, they are the building blocks of interaction design.
交互设计中的要素
作者：Dan Saffer
出版时间：2006年5月8日
节选自《交互作用设计:建立聪敏的应用与聪明的装置》©2006 New Riders公司
（除交互设计师外的）其他设计学科使用的是原料。通信设计师使用象直线这样的基本视觉元素做设计。工业设计师用简单的三维形状，如立方体，球，圆柱。而交互设计师的设计元素更为概念化，他们创造产品和服务，有数字化的（软件）或模拟的（卡拉OK机），或两者兼备（移动电话）。他们用这些元素提供的一套强大组件融入到他们的研究计划中。
动机：
似乎有某种共性，惰性气体不与其他气体化合，静止的物体也不会互动。互动是某种形式的沟通，沟通关乎运动：我们说话的时候声带会振动，我们发送电子邮件或即时讯息时，我们的手和胳膊会做出书写或打字的动作，此时声音和数据在两个实体之间移动。
我们用从手机到e-mail等各种不同的方式沟通。这些产品和使用它们的人会产生相应行为反应，交互设计师非常关注这些行为：产品针对人的行为所产生的反馈。用户这些行为，实际上是动机：标记着使用者的态度，文化，个性，背景的动机。即使在普遍和看似简单的行为都有很大的差异，例如步行（这也就是有必要为老人设计帮助行走的步行鞋和助步车的原因），我们的设计需要做到了解并考虑这些使用动机的差异性。如果你是老年人或体弱者，即使象按按键这样一个简单的运动都会是很困难的。
当你的手指点击你的鼠标时，动机常常是你行为的导火索。触发的行为（或至少是这一行动反馈），也常和动机相关。你点击了一个网站链接，然后页面变化。你按下按键，一个电子邮件的窗口关闭。你的动机反映在你的屏幕上。
而没有动机，就不会有任何的互动。
空间：
运动，即便是基本粒子水平，是发生在一定的空间的，即使空间的边界（正如，互联网）是含糊不清。交互设计师工作于二维和三维空间中，无论这个空间是一种数字式屏幕或模拟屏幕，还是大家所聚居的物理空间。
多数情况下，交互设计涉及到物质与模拟相结合的空间。你做一个姿态，在模拟空间里-比如说，调节了你的体视系统一个控制点，你将在数码显示屏幕看到结果。反过来，当然了，也是可以做到的。你可以把音乐从你的电脑通过你的音响传到物理空间。
大部分交互设计师没有在显示屏上充分利用三维空间。平面的显示器使我们忽略了早在文艺复兴时期画家发现的：透视。即使是在一个二维空间的物体，也可以看起来象在三维空间里倒退和前进。透视的原理是以x（高度）和y（宽度），z（深度）三条坐标轴线为基准工作。网站在使用z轴空间方面做得很糟糕。
星巴克咖啡店非常典型的将物理空间利用的很棒，他们把点饮料区，取饮料区（客户在这里得到他们的饮料）和顾客定制区（顾客可以选择添加牛奶和糖及其他调味品到他们的饮料中）。形成鲜明对比的是典型的单一柜台的快餐店里拥挤的人群。
空间为动机提供了一个环境。这些行为发生在一个宁静的办公室的电脑屏幕前，还是在拥挤，嘈杂，在机场前面的一个报亭？
所有的互动都发生在一个空间里。
时间：
所有的交互都需要时间。有时可以近乎瞬时的，如点击鼠标所花费的时间。有时它可以花很长的时间。你仍然可以在网上找到数十年前的新闻组信息（新闻组是一种电子布告栏系统）。
在空间中的运动是需要时间来完成的。每一个游戏玩家都可以证明，按按钮需要时间（最快也要约8毫秒）。即使宽带速度，也需要时间把数据包从遥远的服务器上通过电线，也许是用无线讯号从空气传输到您的计算机。
交互设计师要对时间有清晰的认知。有些工作很复杂，需要很长的时间来完成—例如，寻找和购买一个产品。许多电子商务网站，你必须登录才能购买，每次登录只在规定的时间内有效。试想，如果亚马逊或其他电子商务网站在你购物时每隔几分钟就超时，并要求你登录多次—你是不可能从他们买很多东西的。一些旅行社和音乐会的售票网站让用户和时间赛跑：快速输入他们的信用卡信息以争得他们想要的座位。
数字时代绝对不是人性的时代。数字化时代是以毫秒为单位来衡量的，一个毫秒比你眨一下眼的时间还短。电脑所做的变化如此之快以至于程序员需要在程序中设置延迟，来使人类能够察觉其变化。
然而毫秒数多的话你就能感受到。当你点击键盘或鼠标，额外延迟的毫秒数有可能使你觉得你的计算机很慢，这是因为附加的延迟。数百毫秒延迟会造成挫折感和愤怒，每次按键都有延迟，将可能使您的计算机无法使用了。
时间产生节奏。多快将某些东西弹出在屏幕上或多久更换你的驾驶执照，这些控制着交互的节奏。游戏往往有节奏：在任何特定的时间内有多少外敌入侵，或花费多少时间才能过关。节奏也是动画的一个重要组成部分：一个文件夹打开或桌面关闭要多久，一个下拉菜单打开要多久。交互设计师控制这个节奏。
电池寿命（现在正在逐渐延长） ，它是设计师必须认识到的另一个要素。一些功能，如背光，消耗掉大部分电池功率，从而减少了装置的工作时间。一部拔掉电源后仅能用10分钟的手机是没有多大作用的。
交互需要时间。
外观：
一些事物的外观暗示我们他们会怎样的表现，以及我们应该如何互动。移动设备的大小，形状，甚至重量，让我们知道应该随身携带。黑色或银色圆滑外观的数字录像机像TiVo告诉我们，他们是附属于音响和电视机的电子设备。
外观是（纹理是另一个来源）1966年认知心理学家詹姆斯·吉布森所说的示能性（也称功能可见性）的主要来源。吉布森在他1979年出的《视知觉生态论》中更充分地拓展了这个概念，但直到唐·诺曼1988年出的开创性的《日常生活心理学》一书，这一术语才蔓延到设计。示能性是指物体的一种属性，或多重性质，或者一个外形特征暗示了如何与物体进行互动。一把椅子有能坐的示能性是因为它的外形。一个按钮有推的示能性，因为它的形状和它动的方式（或看似能动的方式）。杯子里空的空间也是一种示能性，它暗示我们往这个杯里装液体。示能性（或者，从技术上讲，知觉示能性）是视语境和文化而定的。
你知道你可以按一个键，因为你曾经按过按键。在另一方面，一个没见过筷子的人会困惑拿筷子干什么。
除了视障者（对他们来说，纹理常作为替代品），外观也传达情感。这个产品是怪诞的还是严肃的？实用的还是好玩的？外观还可以表达其他可能有意义的属性：这东西是昂贵的还是便宜的？复杂的还是简单的？令人生畏的还是易亲近的？一次性的还是耐持久的？正式的还是非正式的？
外观有许多变量，供设计师改变
•比例
•结构
•大小
•形状
•体重
•颜色（色相，亮度，饱和度）
所有这些特征（还有很多）加入到外观中。几乎每一个设计中有某种形式的外观，即使外观是一个简单的命令行。
纹理：
纹理也可以成为外观的一部分，一个物体的手感和外观传达着同样的信息。纹理，也有示能性。对一个物体感觉能够提示用户如何以及何时何地使用它。它是结实的还是易损坏的？它是易碎的还是耐用的？这样做的旋钮是要旋转还是推还是又要推又要旋转？
纹理也可以传达情感。一个长毛绒的物体和硬金属的物体传达完全不同的感觉。
设计人员还可以用如振动，温度这样的纹理变量来标记行为。当新信息到来时手机会振动，还有你可以想象语音邮件讯息来了后间隔越久，它就越冷。
声音：
声音在大部分的交互设计中只是一小部分，但它可能作为一个重要的部分，特别是对周遭的设备和警报。声音也有许多变量可以传达信息。你肯定不想每次收到电子邮件时都听到一个响亮刺耳的声音从你电脑里传出，而一个柔和的声音则不会使车辆给救护车让道。
声音都是由三个主要部分组成，所有这些都可以由设计师加以调整：
•音调—声音频率有多高。它是像鸟的歌曲一样高亢还是像打雷一样低沉？
•响度—声音有多响亮。
•音色或者音质—是什么样的声音。同样音调和响度的声音听起来也很不同。想想中央C(音)用喇叭和用钢琴演奏出来的情景。
在交互设计领域里声音并没有得到充分的利用（有些人会说是正确的），但即使是一点点的声音也可以作出重大差异的产品。乔布斯强调，没有耳机的话，按iPod上的方向键发出的喀嚓声是可以听到的。
所有这些交互设计的要素构成了交互设计师的工具箱，而交互设计师可能不自觉地运用它们，它们是构建交互设计大厦的基石。
欢迎指出错误之处，谢谢你的关注！
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