Discussion Board

Hello Professor Chicone and class,

Affordances of technology refers to the relationship between object and user and the intended and unforeseen way people respond to the technology. Affordances rely on the user’s perception of the object and what action is to be taken (Heim, 2008, p. 55). What this means is how we perceive how the object is to be used by its properties. Affordances gives us clues as to how the operation of objects should be done and we take the appropriate action. For example the actual properties of a basketball is its round shape, color, air, ability to bounce, and material. We take from the actual properties of a basketball as to what it can be used for. Because the ball is round, full of air, and has an outer hard material it affords us the actions of bouncing, throwing, passing, and shooting. The relationship between the properties of the object and how we perceive how the object should be used is affordance.

A specific technology interface where affordance helps you to understand how to use it is the printer icon in Microsoft Office Suites. The design of the printer icon gives us the clue that if we hit this the action will be printing something to a printer. There is no need for a label or instructions as we know the function of the icon is to print something. Simply put the print icon affords the user the action of printing.

Allen Wesley

References

Heim, S. (2008). The Resosonant Interface: HCI Foundations for Intercation Design. Boston: Addison-Wesley.