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Interaction Types

Yvonne Rogers in her book Interaction Design (Rogers et al., 2015) describes some of the interaction typologies that are established with a system. It should be noted that these four typologies are not exclusive but quite the opposite: in the same process we can use one or several of these types.



• Instruction: In this type of interaction the user tells the system what to do. For example, open a file, print a document, send a notification... It is one of the most basic forms of interaction, task-oriented, fast and efficient. Pressing a button or selecting options from a menu to speaking aloud, making a gesture with the fingers...

• Conversation: Interaction based on the idea that the user dialogues with the system by sending input signals and receiving responses from the system. The system offers different responses that may be useful. It can be done in two ways: in written form, as when we are selecting options during the process of buying movie tickets or through the mouth, when we use a personal assistant, to which we speak naturally.

• Manipulation: Involves manipulating the different objects of the interface in a way analogous to the physical world. We can move a document on the desktop or enlarge a photograph by a gesture on our cell phone.

• Exploration: It allows us to explore an environment freely, and the interaction is produced by sensors that are activated according to this movement, triggering a response from the system. Focused on physical environments or virtual environments, as in an immersive video game.