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So, we know that all the platforms (good ones) have their guidelines for creating interfaces and interactions to make the apps seem an integral part of the OS. But, every now and then you see new interactions popping up in the market space. Some are beautiful to use and some, not so. Example, the pull to refresh in iOS was initially a 3rd party app implementation, which caught traction in other apps using it. Finally, apple included that in their guidelines in iOS 6.

My question(s):

  • How do you come up with new interactions? (Under what scenarios, not the method of inventing the interaction)
  • How do you justify the need for one?
  • How do you determine the usability/discoverability of it?
  • How do you convince a client to use one in their app?

Would appreciate if you can give actual examples.

Edit 1: Seems there is some misunderstanding by what I mean by "How do you come up with a new interaction?" What I meant is, under what circumstances do you resort to creating a new interaction?

rk.
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    Pull to refresh is a good example. It replaced the needed precision of clicking a button with a fluid action that related to the behavior people exemplified when using a news feed. IMO, that's what justifies a 'new' interaction. Molding a trigger around current behavior and interaction patterns. – William Apr 08 '13 at 17:31
  • To continue on Pull To Refresh: It also feels natural because you are trying to "scroll to the top" which means "the latest content". It makes sense with what the user is seeking. – daydalis Apr 08 '13 at 17:47

1 Answers1

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How do you come up with new interactions?

Thinking. Experimenting. White boarding. Trial and error. Playing. Researching. Exploring.

How do you justify the need for one?

Just as you justify the need for any particular design solution: It fixes the problem a solution is being designed for.

How do you determine the usability/discoverability of it?

Testing.

How do you convince a client to use one in their app?

See the previous answer about 'testing'. Real data is often the easiest way to convince a client.

DA01
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