Three Layers of Interaction in User Experience Design
Tejaswi Redkar
CPTO | Board Advisor | AI | Microsoft Azure | AppDynamics | Sumo Logic | LogicMonitor
As a product leader, my goal is to create a seamless experience for users, making their interaction with the product as effortless as possible. The best user experience is almost invisible, allowing users to focus on their tasks without distraction. If configuration isn't necessary, it shouldn't exist. The ultimate experience is "No Experience"—just seamless outcomes and a richer life. It's essential to understand that user experience is everyone's responsibility, not just the UX team's. Great products are born when PMs and developers prioritize UX. Historically, the best UX has often come from empathetic developers. With the rise of AI, this is becoming even more critical. Avoid cluttering the interface with unnecessary content or decisions; simply get out of the user's way!
In UX design, especially for complex systems, it's vital to understand the different layers of interaction. Each layer uniquely influences how users engage with and benefit from the system. Here, we'll explore the three key layers: the Active Layer (Layer 0), the Supporting Layer (Layer 1), and the Passive Layer (Layer 2).
Layer 0 - The Active Layer
The Active Layer, also known as the Primary Interaction Layer, is where the user directly engages with the system to solve a problem or complete a task. This layer includes all elements that facilitate immediate interaction, such as:
In the context of a car, the Active Layer includes actions like driving, using the brake and accelerator, automatic gear shifts, GPS navigation, voice-activated commands that help driving, and self-driving features. This layer focuses solely on tasks requiring immediate attention and interaction without involving any configuration changes or unrelated activities.
Layer 1 - The Supporting Layer
The Supporting Layer exists to enhance and facilitate the Active Layer. It includes functions that, while not directly part of the task, are essential for preparing and optimizing the system for the user. Examples include:
In a car analogy, this layer covers activities like entering the car, adjusting mirrors and seats, and establishing Bluetooth connections. Modern vehicles often automate many of these functions to ensure quicker and easier access to the Active Layer, such as keyless entry, seat personalization, and automatic Bluetooth connection. Spending excessive time on the Supporting Layer detracts from the value of the Active Layer.
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Layer 2 - The Passive Layer
The Passive Layer involves long-term configurations and settings that persist across multiple user sessions. These are background elements that need to be in place for the system to function correctly but don't require constant interaction. In software, this includes:
For a car, this includes:
Importance of Layered Optimization
It's crucial for UX designers, product managers, and developers to understand and optimize these layers correctly. The primary focus should be on the Active Layer, as this is where direct interaction happens and where users derive the most value. Following this, the Supporting Layer should be optimized to ensure that the Active Layer is easily accessible and efficient. Iterate the design over time to simplify this layer and get out of the way of the Active Layer. Lastly, the Passive Layer should be maintained to support long-term functionality and reliability.?Optimize this layer to reduce the time so the user can quickly return to the Active Layer. This layer could also be iterated over time. But never compromise on optimizing the Active Layer; that's the life of your product experience.
In summary, recognizing and prioritizing these layers in the correct order ensures that we are optimizing for the right aspects of the user experience, leading to a more efficient and satisfying interaction with the system. Minimizing unnecessary interactions and decisions allows users to achieve their goals with minimal friction, embodying the "No Experience" UX principle.
The job of AI is to save significant amounts of time for a user or provide endless entertainment hooks to burn time. Great AI experiences that follow this principle will succeed, and others will struggle to illustrate value.?
-Tej
Senior Frontend Engineer @ SAP | ReactJS - TypeScript - JavaScript - NextJS - Redux - ReactQuery - CSS - Design Systems - MUI - Figma | User Experience Designer | xLogicMonitor, xRocket Software, xInfosys
9 个月Thanks... this framework helps in prioritizing tasks and for creating roadmap. Interested to learn about, how to also focus on improving the supporting and the passive layers and not to neglect them during the product journey, because active will always have something new coming up which will take away all the focus from supporting/passive?
Very insightful and timely . Appreciate your perspective on creating seamless user experience and highlighting the collective responsibility of UX, involving not just the design teams but also PMs and developers, especially with the integration of AI.
Product Management Executive | Cloud Infrastructure Automation | Transforming Cloud & AI Ops | Board Member
9 个月Nicely written, Tej Redkar. Always insightful in your analysis. As we learned in observability, more data and more signals aren't always good for the users. Layering is a great approach to reducing the noise for the users.