Lesson 1

The "Web Interaction Model" is a conceptual framework used to understand how various components of the World Wide Web interact with each other. This model includes elements like clients, servers, protocols (like HTTP/HTTPS), and resources. Here's an overview of its relevance and usage today:

• Components:
  • Clients: Typically web browsers, but also mobile apps or IoT devices that can request or interact with web content.
  • Servers: Web servers that host and serve web resources.
  • Protocols: HTTP/HTTPS for data transfer, alongside others like WebSocket for real-time communication.
  • Resources: Web pages, APIs, data services, etc.
• Current Usage:
  • Expansion: The model has expanded with the advent of cloud services, API-first architectures, and the rise of serverless computing. These developments have added complexity but also richness to how web interactions are conceptualized.
  • New Paradigms: With technologies like Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), Single Page Applications (SPAs), and microservices, there's been a shift towards more dynamic, client-side rendered content and decentralized architectures. However, these innovations are still understood within the broader context of the Web Interaction Model.
  • Security and Privacy: Modern interactions now include layers for security (SSL/TLS) and privacy considerations (like GDPR compliance), which are integral to how data is exchanged.
• Educational and Practical Application:
  • In education, the Web Interaction Model is taught to provide a foundational understanding of web architecture.
  • In practice, developers and architects still use this model as a framework for designing systems, although they now include considerations for scalability, performance, and modern technologies like containerization.
• Relevance: While the terminology and specific technologies might have evolved, the fundamental principles of the Web Interaction Model remain applicable:
  • It's still used to describe how data flows between client and server, how requests are made, and how responses are managed.
  • The model helps in conceptualizing new web technologies within existing frameworks, ensuring backward compatibility and understanding.

The Web Interaction Model is still used, but it has been adapted and expanded to include modern web technologies and paradigms.

This module introduces the Web Interaction Model, which is a robust tool for conceptualizing how the full range of components work together on the Web. This includes

1. the design elements,
2. including how a website creates a particular look and feel,
3. to the more technical elements, such as software and hardware considerations.

There are many different ways to understand how the Web works and since there is great variety in the complexity of technologies, various models have been developed as tools for understanding and discussing the Web.

• Module Objectives
  By the end of this module, you will be able to:
  1. Describe how Web technologies have changed the ways people use and obtain information
  2. Describe the components that make up the various Web models
  3. Explain the function of the Web Interaction Model
  4. Describe how the Web Interaction Model relates to other models
  In the next lesson, you will learn why models are necessary and gain an overview of how the Internet has affected the way we use information.

An interaction model is a design model that binds an application together in a way that supports the conceptual models of its target users. It is the glue that holds an application together and defines how all of the objects and actions that are part of an application interrelate, in ways that mirror and support real-life user interactions. It ensures that users always stay oriented and understand how to navigate to find information or perform tasks and provides a common vision for an application. It enables designers, developers, and stakeholders to understand and explain how users move from objects to actions within a system. Once you understand the interaction model and see the pattern, everything makes sense. Defining the right interaction model is a foundational requirement for any digital system and contributes to a cohesive, overall UX architecture.