Interactive Design Beyond the Desktop: User Experience Defined by Aesthetics

Today’s interactive design is a by-product of the ‘desktop’ metaphor used in computing since the 1970s. In this paradigm, design is a secondary consideration and largely treated as window dressing for information. Much of this was driven by necessity and progress of technology. With the advancement of technology, the old metaphor is being jettisoned. Designers must wake up and see the shifting paradigms or there will be more of the same; the user-experience will continue to be created by the programmer and not the designer, whose keen ability and insight are central to communicate deeper meanings to a user.