Interaction design is part of our everyday job as we build small to large-scale immersive experiences with digital art studio and audiovisual professionals. We observed in the past 10 years that interaction design is often built in a pretty spontaneous way by interactive content creators.
In most of the case, it works. And that’s ok ! But most of the best interactive art installations, those which leave a lasting memory to its audience, are those whose interaction mechanics has been well thought-out and developed during the creative process.
Today we will see together what are the basics of interaction design, what are the good practices and those we should avoid, to help you make the most immersive art installations.
What is interaction design in new media art ?
Interaction design in new media art refers to the process of designing the way that users interact with digital artworks. This can include designing the user interface of a digital artwork, as well as the interactions and behaviors that users can engage in when interacting with the artwork.
It often involves creating systems or environments that respond to the actions of the viewer or participant, or that allow the viewer or participant to actively manipulate and explore the artwork.
This can include using sensors, cameras, lidars and other types of technology like we do at Augmenta to track the viewer’s movements and interactions, and to use that data to control the behavior of the artwork.
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Integrate the following questions in your interaction design process
Interaction design must be integrated as early as possible in your creation process because it will have an impact on the interactive project development.
You should consider the following aspects of your interactive projet ;
- size and configuration of the immersive space
- selection of specific sensors
- software environment
- visual content
Size and configuration of your immersive space will impact the experience
Are you playing with a big or tiny space ? You should definitely consider how big is your space because it will directly impact user experience : depending of your space the storytelling, the size and occurence of visual feedbacks will be different. We always want bigger, but you could sometimes bet on a smaller space for a more intimistic (and cost-saving) experience !
There is a camera sensor for each usecase
To make it simple, if we use a certain type of sensor this is because we ask a certain type of behavior from to user, then get a certain type of data, in order to use it and trigger visual elements.
We won’t list all type of sensors here, we will maybe do it in another post, but speaking of camera sensors your should first consider if you build an outdoor or indoor experience. The specifications aren’t the same and you would consider to get rock-solid sensors if it must stay awake 24/7 in a public space. If you don’t wanna use cameras, is there any sensor already existing for your usecase or do you need to integrate research and development in your project.
RITUAL interactive experience : use case
Let’s take a moment to analyze RITUAL a real-time interactive and collaborative experience developed by Theoriz studio in 2022.
Let’s quickly go over the context, just know that the goal of the installation is to encourage users to collaborate by placing themselves at the right place in the space to activate the narrative and move on to the next scene.
What do we need for this interactive experience
- Get the position data of the people in the space
- Provide perceptible cues for users to place themselves in the right place
- Use positional data to trigger interaction
- Make the user understand that he has interacted in the right way and reward him
The constraints of this interactive project
- Real-time data and data usage
- Not possible to put sensors on the ground because of the risk of occlusion between participants
Decisions we’ve made for the RITUAL experience
We know that thanks to the augmenta interactive system with its 3D cameras placed on the ceiling, there will be no occlusion problem.
Thanks to Augmenta Fusion software, THEORIZ is able to merge the data and send it to the creative software Unity and trigger interaction feedbacks.
We need to develop a very perceptible interaction feedback for the user to understand :
- the puzzle game and its interaction mechanics
- that collaboration is important to solve the puzzle
A winning immersive experience is all about user experience
It’s maybe a basic for a lot of interactive designers but we can not talk about interactive design without having a word about user experience.
The challenge of an interactive work lies in the user experience and like every UX case, it’s about the correlation between what objective YOU intend the user to achieve VS user expectations.
In order for the participants to be able to fulfill the objective, the interaction mode must be easily understandable and somewhat easy to perform.
If the user is able to fulfill the objective you have set, then good for you, but it doesn’t mean your experience is a success if you doesn’t satisfy their expectations. That’s why it will some immersive experience need a good onboarding and it will be necessary sometime to integrate some mediation to push the user on the right path.
What are the main questions of interaction design ?
Here are the main questions you should consider in your interaction design process :
- what is the purpose of my installation ?
- what is the scale of my installation and my space specifications ?
- do I want a message to be understand ?
- does the interaction have consequences for the narrative?
- how complex is the interaction VS the user reward ?
- what type of data I need to collect and for what purpose ?
- what is my technical and software environment ?
- what kind of sensors should I use ?
- how to design the interaction feedback ?
By following these questions you would be able to define the best case scenario and your interactive project technical specifications.
In conclusion, interaction design plays a pivotal role in crafting immersive experiences within the realm of new media art. By integrating interaction design early in the creative process, considering factors such as space configuration, sensor selection, and user experience, artists and designers can create compelling interactive installations that leave a lasting impact on their audience. Through real-world case studies like RITUAL, we’ve explored how thoughtful decision-making and attention to detail can elevate interactive artworks, fostering engagement and collaboration among participants. By asking key questions and adhering to best practices in interaction design, creators can unlock the full potential of their projects, delivering immersive experiences that captivate and inspire. Ultimately, the fusion of creativity, technology, and user-centric design principles is essential for crafting truly unforgettable interactive art installations
