In the first chapter of the book “The Art of Interactive Design” by Chris Crawford, titled “What Exactly is Interactivity?”, Chris talks about what interactivity means and sets the tone for the rest of the chapter. He starts by admitting that we don’t really know what interactivity is. However, he goes on to explain the basic idea of interaction and how it helps in creating interesting and meaningful interactive experiences using simple metaphors.
One of the metaphors he makes is thinking of interactivity as a conversation. He says that just like in a conversation, where people listen, speak, and think, interactivity also involves these three things. A high level of interactivity means that all three aspects are happening, and none is more important than the others.
One interesting point he makes is the difference between interaction and reaction. Interaction is when something responds to what you do or say, while reaction is when you respond to something. For example, books and movies are not interactive because they don’t respond to you; you just react to what you see or read. On the other hand, interactive media requires you to actively participate and engage with it. This is an important difference for designers because it affects how they create interactive content.
This distinction is important because it helps me think about my own work. It reminds me that for interactivity to be meaningful, it should not only involve users but also encourage them to interact actively. In doing so, my work becomes the conversation that Chris mentioned, my user essentially gets to think about, speak and listen to my work creating not only a greater sense of interactivity, but also an experience.