The Interaction Design Process

By now we have the bulk of the system laid out, but it's very much what I call the "drawing rectangles" stage. Although it technically accurate, it's mostly line drawings and any colour is there only to help explain the various functions, not for the sake of the aesthetics. Incidentally, this is something many clients find somewhat disturbing since it often looks very rough, but at this stage the vast bulk of the work is complete, even if it doesn't look it. That final step, to make a product appealing as well as effective, requires good visual design.

Although Visual Design is a separate discipline from Interaction Design it is important that the two work hand in hand. The Interaction Designer works to ensure that the information that is most important at any given moment is most prominent. The Visual Designer also need to understand that and work to reinforce rather than detract from the it. Poor visual design can ruin the interaction design, but good visual design can elevate good Interaction to fabulous User Experience.