Interaction design is heavily associated with screens, apps and websites. At its very core, it is the relationship between the user and the system. Interaction design started with the idea that technology should serve human potential. Ada Lovelace imagined machines as partners in creativity, wielding their ability to process symbols and numbers to create art that advances humanity. Decades later, Lillian Gilbreth showed that design wasn’t just about the functional efficiency, but about the lived experience of the user.
There are a myriad of pioneers in Interaction design. What sets Gilbreth and Lovelace apart, is that they both asked a radical question for their time, which is, what if technology is more than a function, but rather an interaction. Lovelace pushed machines toward imagination, whilst Gilbreth pushed design toward empathy. Together, they shaped the philosophy that interaction isn’t only about how systems work, but about how people engage their senses through technology.