The field of Interaction Design is ad-hoc and multidisciplinary, borrowing its theory from a wide variety of component disciplines. Because the field has been pieced together, there is no real unified theory. As a result, Theories and Practice in Interaction Design addresses this absence by pulling together contributions by 26 of the field's major thinkers and designers who have played a fundamental role in introducing those theories into the field. There are seven chapters in the book that focus on key themes involved in interaction design. Each of these chapters include: an introduction; a presentation of theory from one of the parent disciplines; an example of how the theory has been used in interaction design practice; and a summary discussion intended to pull everything together.

Ad hoc and interdisciplinary, the field of interaction design claims no unified theory. Yet guidelines are needed. In essays by 26 major thinkers and designers, this book presents the rich mosaic of ideas which nourish the lively art of interaction design. The editors introduction is a critical survey of interaction design with a debt and contribution to neighboring disciplines, notably cognitive psychology, computer science, discourse analysis, economics, engineering, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, semiotics and sociology. The following essays, by experts in these disciplines and in interaction design, explore activity, emotion, situatedness, community, and more.