Understanding Interaction: The Relationships Between People, Technology, Culture, and the Environment: Volume 1: Evolution, Technology, Language and Culture

Understanding Interaction explores the relationship between people and technology, covering a wide range of technologies from mechanical to electronic, and tracing the history of human-technology interaction from the tool-creating period to the present. Volume 1 explores the deep history, while Volume 2 focuses on humans in interaction, providing design approaches and frameworks for future developments. The book aims to guide and inspire designers, artists, engineers, psychologists, media producers, and social scientists.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 290 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Understanding Interaction delves into the intricate interplay between individuals and technology within the broader framework of the interconnectedness between human-made and natural environments. It encompasses a vast spectrum of technologies, extending beyond digital realms to encompass mechanical, electrical, and electronic advancements. This comprehensive exploration spans millions of years, tracing the origins of our ancestors' creation of mechanical tools and their profound impact on our physical and mental capacities.

Volume 1 takes readers on a journey through time, beginning with the era of tool creation, which laid the foundation for our physical and cognitive abilities. It proceeds to examine the settlement period, marked by the emergence of agriculture, domestication, villages, and cities, along with the development of written language. The industrial period witnesses the rise of science, engineering, reformations, and renaissance, shaping the world in profound ways. Finally, the communication period emerges, characterized by the advent of mass media, digital technologies, and global networks, revolutionizing the way we interact and communicate.

Volume 2 delves into the realm of human interaction, exploring our physiology, anatomy, neurology, psychology, and the profound ways in which we experience and influence the world. From this transdisciplinary perspective, design approaches and frameworks are presented to guide future developments and innovations. The overarching goal of the book is to serve as a valuable guide and source of inspiration for designers, artists, engineers, psychologists, media producers, social scientists, and practitioners across various fields. Whether you are a novice or an experienced professional, this book offers valuable insights and practical tools to enhance your understanding and contributions to the realm of interaction and technology.

Image Credit: Still of an interactive video pattern created with a range of motion sensors in the Facets kaleidoscopic algorithm (based underwater footage of seaweed movement) by the author on February 4, 2010, for a lecture at Hyperbody at the Faculty of Architecture, TU Delft, Netherlands.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032157658