The Blog

We’d like to introduce you to Matt Nish-Lapidus and the category of Connecting.

Matt is a Design Director at Normative in Toronto, Canada, and sits on the Board of Directors for IxDA. Read more about him and his work.

Connecting:  Facilitating communication between people and communities.

We asked:

1. Why is it important for us to recognise Connecting in Interaction Design?

 

Connecting is the ultimate expression of the power that well designed system and technology can have on people and society. Almost every system that we design has, at its core, an exchange between people in order to share, collaborate, and communicate. Recognizing work that highlights this type of connecting ability helps us move our focus from the pragmatic use of technology to accomplish tasks towards a more holistic view where technological systems facilitate people working together. Using our craft to understand and enhance the connections people have with each other and with their communities is one of the best ways in which we can have a positive impact on our society.

 

2.  What kind of projects come to mind when you think of Connecting?

 

Connecting projects can fall under a wide range of organizations and types of work. Social networks, enterprise intranets, forum platforms, team collaboration tools, and social activity trackers all enable different types of connections. These systems help people work together, share knowledge, develop relationships, and even compete against one another. All of those things are type of connections that enrich our lives. Examples of well known products that I could see in this category include RunKeeper/HealthGraph API, Discourse, Google Hangouts, and many more.

Thanks, Matt! Looking forward to your perspective on the jury.

Can you see your work in this category? Looking for more inspiration? Take a look at the finalists from the past two years:

Obama for America Mobile Campaign, the 2013 Interaction Award Best in Category for Connecting. See all of the finalists and winners from 2013.

Pepsi Refresh Project, the 2012 Interaction Award Best in Category for Connecting. See all of the finalists and winners from 2012.

What Interaction Design work do you think of when you think of “Connecting”?