A talk about interfaces, how people interpret them, and how we can improve them by focusing on small interactive details, or microinteractions.

1. Mental Models
Microinteractions
& More
Andrew Croce

2. Interface
An abstraction of an engineered system, that
exposes its functionality in an intuitive way
For humans or machines

3. Mental Models
Not complex
An map (or picture, or story)
Confirmed or contradicted

4. UI Features
Macro
A user story
Multiple parts
Multiple use cases
Lengthy interactive life cycle
Micro
Implementation details
Few parts
One use case
Short interactive life cycle

5. Microinteraction
A microinteraction is a moment of connection
with an interface’s smallest meaningful features,
when a user is completing a simple task.
Setting a preference
Filling out a form field
Responding to a notification
Confirming a choice
etc.

6. Mere Details?
Interactive details teach us the rules of a system
If trigger then feedback
Builds our mental model

8. What have we learned?

9. Security
"Password length and complexity matter"
"Hacking is a concern"
"This system has it covered"

10. Personality
"Communication is important to this system"
"It feels intelligent"
"This system is friendly "
But its still not a complete model

11. Who fills in the blanks? The user!
When gaps are present in a mental model, users will tend to fill them in with human characteristics
and expectations of behavior.
Nobody cares how it really works!

12. Conversational language
Human-like feedback can reinforce branding
Human conversation is fluid
Don't always be funny

13. Read Context
Humans excel at inferring context from other
humans
Give a greater impression of intelligence and
friendliness
Adapt (really, don't always be funny!)

14. Make Assumptions
Humans make them all the time
Based on profile
Based on environment
Based on previous behavior
Don't start from zero

15. Mental models are NOT engineering models
Interfaces are abstractions
Macro features: the user stories
Micro features: the details
Microinteractions: small, meaningful tasks
Details help us build mental models
Users fill in the blanks
Take advantage of conversational language
Read from context
Make assumptions
In Summary...

16. References
Karen Tang, "Designing the Details: How Micro-Interactions Can Elevate Your UX", Abstractions
Conference, 18 Aug 2016, Pittsburgh, PA
Brad Fults, "Interfaces: Building Worlds & Feeling Great", Abstractions Conference, 18 Aug 2016,
Pittsburgh, PA
Greg Nicholas, "Conversational User Interfaces: Let Apps Speak for Themselves" Abstractions
Conference, 20 Aug 2016, Pittsburgh, PA
Dan Saffer, "Microinteractions", O'Reilly, 2014