I totally agree with Chris Crawfords definitions and explanation of interactivity and how he breaks it down to three simple actions ; listening, thinking and speaking. While I found these insights valuable, I felt like he downplayed the concept of unpredictability in interactions. He relates good interactions to conversations, which I agree, but fails to acknowledge the fact that real conversations have moments of misunderstanding and confusion. How should a program respond when it doesn’t comprehend user commands? This made me to think deep and come to appreciate the importance of having systems that handles unexpected interactions from users.
Other than that, I find it interesting how Crawford draws a fine line between reactive and interactive systems. Prior to reading I had often confused reactions to interaction, a perception which has now been changed. The way he puts interactive programs as ones that adapt and change based on user input has made me look into how I implement my user interactivity in future projects. I have learnt how incorporating adaptability helps to achieve deeper engagement with inputs by evolving dynamically instead of sticking to a rigid pattern.
Crawfords work has really challenged me and how I come up with my p5 works. I hope to use his ideas of interaction to ensure better user interactivity in my projects