The Trust over IP Foundation is forming a new Interaction Patterns Task Force under its Human Experience Working Group. The mission of this task force is to enable consistent, accessible and trustworthy data exchange experiences for all. The task force will accomplish this through the documentation of best practices in design decisions for specific user-focused interactions and enabling both designers and developers to implement such decisions.
Why
The experience and security of any system operated by people depends on the information conveyed through user interfaces, the response of the users, and the interpretation of their actions. In the Trust Over IP Stack the critical interface for end users is at layer 2, where they interact with ‘wallets’. Existing ‘wallet’ interfaces commonly let technology dictate interaction sequences, default to culturally narrow mental models, and inconsistently represent key objects and functions.
Trustworthy data exchange is a foundational building block in the infrastructure of modern society—for it to function as a public good, it must be available and accessible to all. As such, the digital objects involved should be easy to identify, clearly communicate their boundaries and functions, and demonstrate consistent behaviour within interactions. Interfaces should make it easier for users to understand data exchange interactions and accomplish tasks whilst reflecting unique contexts.
Design principles and best practices, which the Interaction Patterns Task Force will deliver, will provide the guard rails to deliver humane, transparent and consistent software behaviours while allowing for a culturally diverse ecosystem to flourish.
How
The intended deliverable is a living repository of resources for the community that articulates clear principles on the social mechanics of trustworthy interactions, highlights existing standards and interaction examples, recommends research-backed best practices and identifies new patterns to unlock novel user experiences.
We intend to work in phases, initially focussing on identifying archetypal user journeys and the interaction patterns associated with the most common use cases. We will then begin to identify patterns transversal across different ceremonies and rituals, cultures, domains and contexts, adapting to differences in user behaviour and interactions across form factors and devices.
In our initial calls, we will be starting with show & tell sessions where group members are invited to walk through product user journeys, beginning to map which flows and actions are most relevant for us to consider. We anticipate repeating this activity periodically, providing an opportunity for a diverse range of voices to share their experience and highlight challenges or positive outcomes in trust infrastructure interaction and user experience design.
Get involved
We welcome all experts in the Human Experience Working Group (that’s you), ethical design, consent agreements, social sciences, human-computer-interaction and interaction design.
More details are available at the Interaction Patterns Task Force Wiki, where we also store meeting notes and recordings. We meet on the 2nd and 3rd Thursday of each month at 17.00UTC. We report back to the Human Experience Working Group on the first Thursday of every month at 17.00UTC. Meeting details can be found at the Calendar of ToIP Meetings.
We look forward to you joining us!
Andrew Slack and Bentley Farrington
Co-Chairs HXWG & IPTF