# Bill Verplank ![[50 Resources/51 Attachments/51.03 Public/2026-05-04 Bill Verplank.jpg|400]] Bill Verplank is an American interaction designer who, along with [[Bill Moggridge]], coined the term [[Interaction Design (IxD)]] in the mid-1980s. He worked at Xerox PARC where he contributed to the development of the first graphical user interface, and later at ID Two (which became IDEO) and Interval Research. Verplank is known for his influential frameworks for understanding interaction, particularly his "Interaction Design Sketchbook" which distills interaction design into fundamental questions about how users do, feel, and know. Verplank studied engineering and product design at Stanford, where he later returned to teach. His career spans the key institutions of human-computer interaction: Xerox PARC (the Xerox Star), ID Two/IDEO, and Interval Research (Paul Allen's lab). He has been instrumental in establishing interaction design as an academic discipline and is known for making complex concepts accessible through simple sketches and diagrams. His teaching emphasizes hands-on prototyping with physical computing and tangible interfaces. ## Key Contributions | Contribution | Year | Significance | |--------------|------|--------------| | **Xerox Star GUI** | 1981 | First commercial GUI | | **Coined "Interaction Design"** | ~1984 | With [[Bill Moggridge]], named the field | | **IxD Framework** | 1980s-present | Do-Feel-Know model | | **Tangible Interfaces** | 1990s-present | Physical computing education | | **Stanford teaching** | Various | Training designers | ## Interaction Design Framework ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ VERPLANK'S INTERACTION DESIGN FRAMEWORK │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Three fundamental questions: │ │ │ │ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ 1. HOW DO YOU DO? │ │ │ │ How does the user take action? │ │ │ │ • Handles (continuous) vs Buttons (discrete) │ │ │ │ • Direct manipulation vs Command │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ ↓ │ │ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ 2. HOW DO YOU FEEL? │ │ │ │ What feedback does the user receive? │ │ │ │ • Cool (informational) vs Hot (emotional) │ │ │ │ • Visceral, behavioral, reflective │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ ↓ │ │ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ 3. HOW DO YOU KNOW? │ │ │ │ How does the user understand the system? │ │ │ │ • Maps (spatial) vs Paths (sequential) │ │ │ │ • Mental models │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ## Input Types Framework | Type | Characteristics | Example | |------|-----------------|---------| | **Handles** | Continuous, analog | Slider, knob, joystick | | **Buttons** | Discrete, digital | Click, tap, key press | | **Direct manipulation** | Act on object itself | Drag and drop | | **Symbolic** | Act through representation | Command line, menu | ## Career Timeline | Year | Position | |------|----------| | 1970s | Stanford (BS, MS) | | 1976-1985 | Xerox PARC | | 1985-1991 | ID Two (with Moggridge) | | 1992-2000 | Interval Research | | 2000-present | Stanford (Consulting Professor) | ## Notable Work | Project | Organization | Contribution | |---------|--------------|--------------| | **Xerox Star** | Xerox PARC | First commercial GUI | | **Interaction Design** | ID Two | Named and defined field | | **Reactable** | Advisor | Musical tangible interface | | **Physical computing** | Stanford | Educational curriculum | ## Teaching Philosophy | Principle | Application | |-----------|-------------| | **Sketch to learn** | Draw ideas to understand them | | **Make to think** | Prototype early and often | | **Hands-on** | Physical computing, Arduino | | **Fundamentals first** | Core concepts before tools | | **Simple frameworks** | Reduce complexity to essentials | ## Influential Diagrams | Diagram | Purpose | |---------|---------| | **Do-Feel-Know** | Structure interaction design questions | | **Handles vs Buttons** | Classify input types | | **Maps vs Paths** | Understanding navigation | | **Idea-Test-Idea** | Iterative design process | ## Institutions | Institution | Role | |-------------|------| | **Xerox PARC** | GUI development | | **ID Two / IDEO** | Named interaction design | | **Interval Research** | Advanced research lab | | **Stanford** | Design education | | **Royal College of Art** | Visiting faculty | ## Quotes <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Bill Verplank]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> ## Books <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/book AND [[Bill Verplank]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> ## References - Verplank, B. "Interaction Design Sketchbook" - Moggridge, B. (2007). *Designing Interactions* (includes Verplank interview) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Verplank ## Related - [[Interaction Design (IxD)]] - [[Bill Moggridge]] - [[Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)]] - [[User Experience (UX)]]