Instrumental Interaction
Résumé
Instrumental Interaction is a "generative theory of interaction" that moves beyond the concept of Direct Manipulation in graphical user interfaces to create simpler, yet more powerful forms of interactive systems. The concept of an instrument is inspired by observation and theories of how people use physical tools to manipulate objects in the real world. After summarizing the history and principles of Direct Manipulation, we introduce the concept of an interactive digital instrument and describe its four generative principles: Reification, Polymorphism, Reuse, and Currying. We provide examples that show how designers can create effective instrumental interfaces and discuss directions for future work.