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Elements of the Web Interaction Model

The interaction model is something that users internalize, but probably could not articulate, and would not care whether they could. Users internalize well-constructed interaction models, which make most actions within a system more predictable. We usually do not notice a product or application when it works well. There is no ultimate solution for the web interaction model.
Every product solves a different set of problems for different users, and therefore, requires a model that, as much as possible, reflects and supports their real-world interactions. If they are designing a simple Web portal, they may be right. However, any time a product needs to scale to support complex interactions or comprises more than a dozen pages or so, its designers need to step back and define its interaction model first.

  1. Signs and Metaphors: Client
  2. Signs and Metaphors: Online shopping cart
  3. Signs and Metaphors: Asteron's Gizmo graphic
  4. Information Architecture: Menu
  5. Information Architecture: Keyword Search
  6. Software: Hypertext
  7. Software: Database
  8. Software: Java
  9. Networks and the Internet: Internet
  10. Networks and the Internet: FTP
  11. Hardware: Modem
  12. Hardware: Router