Author: Willow Munaba

Trust and Transparency: The Ethical Duty of Interaction Designers

Interaction designers have a core ethical responsibility to protect users from manipulation and unintended consequences, especially as AI systems become embedded in everyday interfaces. One key duty is to maintain transparency....

iPod & iPhone

Pocket-Sized Worlds

The iPod and iPhone radically shifted our relationship with technology by turning media into something you carried with you in your pocket or in your purse. They collapsed communication, music and information into a single device...

pace layers

Beyond the UI Refresh

Pace Layers give designers a clear way to understand how some parts of Interaction Design were able to rapidly evolve, while others remain stagnant. Stewart Brand mentions fashion and commerce layers which dictate the rapid...

web 2.0

When the Web went Social

Web 2.0 emerged when the internet shifted to dynamic, user-driven platforms, hence the explosion of social networking through blogs and interactive apps. Website experienced vast changes, but what really changed was the...

field trips

Visit to the Computer History Museum

My first impression of the Computer History Museum was that everyone there was dressed formally and most of the people there were men in suits. There were a few women there as well and they were also wearing suits, however there...

GUI

Icons, Patterns and the Pursuit of Intuitive Interfaces

Graphical User Interfaces have transformed dramatically since personal computers first became accessible to the general public. The 1984 Macintosh and Windows 95 introduced a visual way of interacting with computers, using...

xerox star

The Silent Blueprint: The Xerox Star and The Birth of Modern Computing

Since Xerox's release of the Star 8010 Information System in 1981, a new chapter in personal computing began. The Star was a revolution in how people interacted with computers. It simplified computing so that users could simply...

mid-century innovations

90 Minutes to the Future: From Mouse to Modern Computing

The 1968 demo by Douglas Engelbart and the team at SRI was groundbreaking as it unveiled the foundations of modern computing. In just 90 minutes, the world witnessed the first computer mouse, hyperlinks, real-time editing and...

fitts law

Design’s Not so Secret Recipe: Gestalt Meets Fitts’s Law

The next time I sit down to design software, I will be more intentional about how users see and interact with the interface. Gestalt principles remind me that people process screens by naturally grouping, connecting and...

manifestos

Breaking the Frame

The early 20th century was a period of rapid change for society in all areas. Up until then, fine art had been reserved for the wealthy and noble classes. Painters were expected to follow strict rules regarding subject matter and...

lovelace & gilbreth

IXD’s Founding Mothers

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...