The way the author defined the term “interactivity” caught my attention. To me, interactivity simply means interactions between two things or people. However, the author defined it in terms of a conversation where two actors actively take turn listening, thinking, and speaking. To further the definition, the author mentioned the role of subtasks (thinking, listening, speaking) in determining the quality of the interaction. Interactivity is not only about the interaction itself but also the subtasks that need to be well-performed to result in a high-quality interaction.
The author made an argument on what things are considered not interactive. I found myself agreeing with what the author defined as not interactive and an example given was a printed book. Although it speaks the words to the readers, it does not listen or think. In other words, the book and the reader do not alternately listen, speak, and think. In this way, the book is not interactive and hence cannot collaborate with humans, who are considered interactive.
To add on, an example of dancing as a non-interactive activity was a surprise. I thought dancing was interactive because dancers move according to the music. However, according to the author, dancing is not interactive because music is not an actor that can think and listen. It speaks the melodies and lyrics of the song but is not able to interchange with the dancer. Similarly, the movie is another subject that humans cannot interact with. Although I felt like I was exchanging ideas with the movies I watched, in fact, I was not interacting with the movies or the actors displayed in the movies.
Overall, the author’s definition of interactivity was fascinating. The author’s definition made me rethink what I consider interactive and hence how to develop good designs. While great designs can result between interactive and non-interactive actors, harmony between two interactive actors can also create designs of high quality and interest. With this reading, I will be trying to create designs that show the conversation of several interactive actors.