Transdisciplinary Interaction Design Thinking

I recently posed a poll/question on Linkedin, “How do you define the practice of Interaction Design?” The majority of responses used the short-definition as ‘humans interacting with anything’.

I believe Interaction Design has roots in helping people interact with technology (anything with a microchip), but its clear that Interaction Design (or Design) addresses a much broader realm. A practice that must combine various roles of behavioral science and design.

Twitter is a good example of the broader realm Interaction Design must cover. The challenge probably started as a front-end interface (technology) problem. But now, Twitter has become a research tool to inform businesses how to interact with customers. A communication platform between people. And a cultural (and behavioral) phenomena. Closely resembling what Wade Johnston summarized on Linkedin as ‘…encouraging or facilitating exchanges between people’.

Now, why hasn’t Graphic Design been defined at the depths we see Interaction Design defined? I think back on a direct mail campaign in Japan that went horrible. It was for a US-based manufacturer who sent a promotion in a black envelope - in Japanese culture this means a death in the family. It was a mistake forever imprinted in the hearts and minds of the recipients. Did the practice of Interaction Design need to be present to understand cultural norms (family is important, black envelopes mean death) and behavioral understandings (death in the family is emotional and memorable)?

Maybe we just need a deeper way to define Design? Maybe its more about a collaborative process with various disciplines than an individual practice? There are several academic programs shaping the conversation around Design, its various definitions, and modifiers.

Stanford states that they are

“at the forefront of defining the direction of the field which is in the midst of a profound shift.” and “…are developing new transdisciplinary methodologies to address issues such as energy, widespread behavior change, and complex business challenges.”

While Stanford uses the term “transdisciplinary” Parsons recently introduced a “MFA Transdisciplinary Design” with Jamer Hunt, a trained cultural anthropologist, as Chair. Below are a couple segments of Q&A on the topic of Transdisciplinary Design.

“It’s no longer sufficient for young professionals to simply be good at something like rendering or modeling or basic typography, because they’re now competing with people in a global marketplace and often at very different cost levels.” They’re developing a program in which “…students will come out with a portfolio, but it won’t be so much artifact driven—in other words, a poster or a product. It will be more process driven.”

Now, because Transdisciplinary Design is process driven, Hunt contends that there’s still a place for specialized skills.

“It’s not an either-or situation. We need highly specialized people and we need people who can be more lateral connectors…” Where “Designers will facilitate and navigate the process, but we’ll have multiple kinds of intelligence involved.”

So then would Interaction Design be considered a specialty?

One of the original US-based Interaction Design programs at Carnegie Melon states that,

“Interaction designers define product behavior, mediating relationships between people and people, people and products, people and environments, and people and services across a variety of contexts.”

The Austin Center for Design shares that,

“Interaction Design is the creation of a dialogue between a person and a designed artifact - a product, service, or system. An Interaction Designer creates frameworks for behavioral change, on both a grand and small scale. Interaction Designers may create software, physical artifacts, environmental spaces, or systems of engagement; in all cases, the focus for the Interaction Designer is on the creation of a meaningful dialogue between a person and the designed elements.”

Meanwhile, foundational programs like IIT aren’t necessarily modifying the word ‘Design’, but are merging it with the concept of MBA to achieve

“Integrated professional mastery in both user-centered, methods-based design innovation AND core management principles of marketing, project accounting, organizational behavior and strategy.”

Its a complex world and there are complex problems (healthcare!). And its interesting how many people and programs (new and old) are trying to define concepts like Interaction Design, Design Thinking, Transdisciplinary Design, and Transformation Design to address these complexities.

And although concepts and definitions vary to certain degrees, I believe what we’re really talking about is a shift in approach. One that recognizes that Designers will become facilitators of a process. A process in which facilitation is an activity for collective teaching and collaborative learning.

Now all we need is someone to facilitate the discussion so we can figure out what to call it.