A strongly interactive system, in my view, must first be intuitive. This doesn’t mean it has to be entirely self-explanatory, but if users need several pages of instructions just to figure out how to interact, the design has already failed. I mean who is going to even read 2 pages of manual/instructions these days, right? The interaction should feel discoverable through exploration.
As Crawford explains, any interaction has three parts: listen, think, and speak. If even one of these elements is weak, the entire interaction becomes unsatisfying. I think that in creative computing or digital art we often overemphasize the input (listening) and visuals (speaking) but ignore the algorithm or logic (thinking). The system should have enough diversity in its logic to produce interesting, varied outcomes rather than repeating the same response every time. Take Super Mario as an example. Imagine a version where you could only press the spacebar to jump, and Mario never actually moves only the background scrolls to simulate motion. Technically, that would still be “interactive,” but it would quickly become boring. A good interactive system allows you to achieve multiple outcomes for example move left, right, jump, pause, and even fail in different ways, giving players control. This diversity of interaction is what makes it engaging.
I also think interaction should strike a balance between predictability and surprise as we’ve discussed in class. Too much predictability leads to boredom for instance, a game with only one level becomes dull after you memorize where every obstacle is. But if an interaction is completely chaotic it becomes unintuitive and confusing. The balance is a design where users can learn patterns but still encounter enough new elements to stay curious.
Reflecting on my own p5 sketches, I realize I rely heavily on mouse clicks, which makes them feel reactive rather than truly interactive. To improve, I could add keyboard controls, use microphone input for both visual and audio effects, and introduce randomness so every run feels slightly different. Immediate feedback maybe by simulating animations, color changes etc. would also make interactions more interesting. Finally, asking friends to try the sketches and improving based on their feedback would help me design from the user’s perspective, not just my own.