Absurd Interactions

In-class exercise: link


Control versus Interactivity

"We presume a black-and-white distinction between artists and nonartists. This artificial distinction then vests total control in the hands of the artists, and none in the hands of the plebeians. I would ask, are the plebeians so stupid, so dense, so utterly lacking in artistic sensibility that we cannot afford them some measure of artistic control?The fact that some people are more artistically advanced than others does not argue for total control on their part, only control at a higher level of indirection."

Chris Crawford, The Art of Interactive Design 2002

Meaningful Interactions

Freytag’s pyramid:

Absurd Interactions

"We use coherence to denote the extent to which one's experiences make sense. The sense of coherence results from thinking about those experiences and understanding them in relation to life as a whole. It is the moment when we exclaim 'I see what you did there' or state 'that made sense to me'."

Elisa D. Mekler and Kasper Hornbæks

We assess events, experiences, and interactions based on our previous expectations and beliefs. When something is coherent, it is straight forward, rational and performs in an expected way. We are acutely aware when something lack the sense of coherence and breaks with the norm, they are perceived as cognitively challenging or emotionally unsettling. While the lack of expected logic and coherence is detrimental to a traditional interaction design, this alternatively allows for unexpected absurd interactions, encouraging the audience to question and reframe their understanding around "what" they are doing and experiencing.

Connectedness Purpose Coherence Resonance Significance
Meaning always connected to the self and the world sense of core goals, aims, and directions comprehensibility and making sense of one's experiences clicking with something or feeling it is right enduring value and importance
Absence Self-alienation Aimlessness Absurdity and uncertainty Feeling of ‘wrongness’ and anxiety Triviality
Orientation Self and the world Motivation Understanding Feeling and Intuition Mattering
Process Living Goal-setting Sense-making Intuiting Evaluating

Readings:

Understanding industrial design : principles for UX and interaction design Simon King & Kuen Chang, 2016 - ISBN: 978-1491920398Library

_ Playful (ch 5)

The Art of Interactive DesignChris Crawford, 2002 - ISBN: 1886411840Library

_ Control versus Interactivity (ch 26)

Discursive design : critical, speculative, and alternative thingsBruce M. Tharp, Stephanie Tharp, 2018 - ISBN: 0262038986Library