Author: Sarah Ellzey

When the web learned how to talk back

To start, Web 2.0 emerged in the early to mid-2000s, marking a significant turning point in technology and, of course, interaction design. It really started the shift from static webpages to interactive, user-generated, socially...

field trips

Discovering what came before: CHM

I thought that the CHM had really impressive exhibits. I think when I arrived, I was just expecting that the museum would cover all the main stories of a literal computer's history; instead, I was faced with all kinds of...

GUI

GUI has grown up, and will continue to do so

Way back in Macintosh's/Windows' early days, the graphical user interface, or GUI, was something really special. They popularized the desktop, Windows, and folder metaphors, and promoted them to a wider range of audiences than...

xerox star

From Code to Clicks: Xerox Star’s impact

Back in the day, we used to think very rigidly about computers. They were seen as giant calculators or data processors. They were tools for scientists, engineers, and analysts. Interactions at the time were limited to typing in...

mid-century innovations

Douglas Engelbart and setting the stage for Interaction Designers

The world of Interaction Design encompasses principles from various disciplines, and as a result, many pioneers have paved the way for the field as we know it today. One individual I would argue was one of the most influential...

fitts law

From Aesthetics to Action-Gestalt meets Fitts’ Law

I feel that as an Interaction Designer, my goal when designing is always to create with efficiency and empathy. When I'm sitting down and creating, I'm always trying to imagine how to make my designs even more intuitive,...

manifestos

Creative Minds of Yesterday inspiring The Creative Minds of Tomorrow

As an interaction designer, I can observe how my field includes principles from design, technology, psychology, and cognitive science. There is a lot that goes into Interaction Design as a whole, but as designers, we should...

lovelace & gilbreth

Studying Innovative Women (Lovelace & Gilbreth) matters!

Why are Ada Lovelace and Lillian Gilbreth important to know about for IXD History? In both the technology and design worlds, women have been largely overlooked and unacknowledged. Today, we know that Ada Lovelace is actually the...