I think a strongly interactive system is one that feels like it’s really engaging with you, almost like having a conversation. The author describes interactivity as two sides listening, thinking, and responding, and I see that especially in how responsive a system is. When I was younger, I joined a LEGO robotics competition and built a robot from scratch. At first, it didn’t do anything, but once we added the Arduino parts and coded it, it started moving and reacting to our commands. It felt alive, like it was “listening” to us.
Artificial intelligence takes this even further. I heard about a study where researchers kept breaking a robot’s leg, and instead of shutting down, it figured out a new way to walk. That’s incredibly interactive because it shows learning and adaptation. Even something like Siri or Alexa shows this on a smaller scale, you ask a question, and it responds right away. For me, a truly interactive system listens, adapts, and almost feels like a partner, not just a machine following instructions.
I love how they made something normal we play with everyday interactive.
One idea I have for improving the degree of user interaction in my p5 sketches is adding an AI chat voice, kind of like Siri. Instead of having to leave the sketch and go back to the coding page whenever I have a question or need to fix something, I could just talk to the AI while working on my project. It would feel like we’re coding “together,” where I can ask questions out loud and get instant feedback or suggestions. This would make the process more fun and interactive, and it would keep me focused on creating instead of constantly switching between different pages or tools.