Abstract
The debate on interaction design, which began in the 1980s and 1990s, has undergone a profound transformation with the advent of pervasive technologies such as AI, VR, smart environments and IoT devices. Interaction no longer takes place solely via the two-dimensional surface of a screen, but involves the body, space, time and sensory perceptions. This change, known as the “phygital turn”, marks the fusion between the real and the digital, overcoming the two-dimensional paradigm of zero posture to embrace a three-dimensional and performative dimension of experience.
The concepts of “mise-en-page” give way to “mise-en-scène”, where the interface becomes an immersive, scenic and choreographic environment in which interactions are gestures and narratives rather than linear tasks. Figures such as Muriel Cooper and Brenda Laurel anticipated this approach: Cooper by exploring new fluid graphic languages, and Laurel by proposing a theatrical metaphor for interaction in which the user is the protagonist.
Interaction design thus evolves into a “unified field” where space, objects, people and technologies dialogue through multimodal and sensory experiences, made possible by shared scripts. The designer takes on the role of director, integrating skills and narrative to structure meaningful experiences.
Finally, storytelling becomes key to transforming interaction into experience and collective memory. As Han reminds us, to live is to narrate: design, like storytelling, connects the past and the present, the physical and the digital, generating meaning and value, especially in the field of cultural heritage.