Interaction design is about specifying the interaction between the human user and the machine.
Wireframes are elementary screen designs. I use them to determine the location of functionality on the screen. (Other graphical aspects like colors, fonts and pictures are documented later in a styleguide). Wireframes on paper can already be tested in paper prototyping sessions.
Wireframe for the intranet homepage of InBev, an international brewery.
In a later stage I can turn a design (like wireframes) into a clickable prototype. A user can navigate through this and look at most of the screens before all functionality is actually working. When needed I can also specify things like field validations, error messages and help texts.
Prototype web application for DJI (National Agency of Correctional Institutions) for changing prisoner data (fictional data).
A new product (website, application) always starts with a concept in somebody's mind. What is the goal of the product? What is already on the market? What are possible solutions? In the concepting phase I help to answer these questions. I also start sketching possible user interfaces to make possible solutions concrete.
Conceptual user interface for the NS (Dutch national railway). This information had to be accessible both on the web and on handheld computers at train stations.
Before you can start designing and building the complete product, it has to be clear what requirements the user interface has to fulfill. What functionality should the product have? On what platforms should the site work? How fast should users be able to perform their tasks? I can clarify and document these requirements for the development team.
To document how users can move through the system (website, application, etc.), I use navigation flow diagrams.
Navigation flow of a web application of Van Lanschot Chabot (an insurance intermediary) for activating an account and logging in.
When designing a website or application, often I use scenarios. Scenarios are realistic and concrete descriptions of (future) users who perform a certain task with the system. A scenario ensures that you look at the system, not only from a technology perspective, but also from a user perspective.
Scenario for the website of Nuffic, a Dutch organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education.
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