Interaction is part of thinking

We don't think, then act. We think by doing. Physical movement helps us to think. Interacting with the world around us the same, even more. Body and mind is very connected in this way.

That's why the body is a key player in creating understanding: "Understanding comes from doing, not just seeing." This stems from a new view of the mind called Embodied cognition.

Interaction in this sense isn't action, then reaction. It's tightly coupled together. And we can distinguish between two types of actions: – pragmatic: it either moves us closer to a specific goal, or further away from it (i.e. mistake) – epistemic: action that's done to create understanding or knowledge (see Epistemic actions)

It's the epistemic actions that help us think. We don't always act towards a goal; often we act to think and understand.

This concept is important for interaction design. Because sometimes people interact to just understand, this means exploring the UI, trying things – that's why they need good feedback and possibility to recover.

This idea might help explain why "writing is thinking".

Relates to: External structures support thinking – external structure allows to physically interact with it to support thinking.

Tags: understanding writing design for errors

ID: 2021-0122-0840

References:

• Anderson, Fast, 2020. Figure It Out