Chapter 1
Introduction
Historical background on Industrial and Interaction
Design
Throughout the last century, the discipline of Industrial Design
has refined an understanding of how to design physical products
for people. More recently, as computation and network
connectivity extend beyond the screen, Interaction Designers
and UX professionals also find themselves addressing design
problems in the physical world. Although the context is new,
much can be learned by looking to the long-standing principles of
Industrial Design. Technology evolves rapidly, but the underlying
qualities that define the products we love have not changed.
In this book, we will look at ten principles of Industrial Design that
can inspire new ways of approaching UX challenges, both on-
screen and in the physical world. Each principle will be explored
through numerous product examples, both historical and
contemporary, and related to present or near-future Interaction
Design challenges.
This chapter will provide a brief grounding in the history of
Industrial and Interaction Design. We will cover key people and
moments in each discipline, highlighting pivotal events and
noting points of divergence and convergence. The history of
personal computing will be used to trace advances in Interaction
Design, with particular attention given to the virtual or physical
nature of different computing platforms. Additional background
on Industrial Design is interspersed throughout the book in
conjunction with the examples that illuminate each principle.