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IDEA BY

Arpit Jain

Intelligent Interactions.

A cognitively defined five phase interaction system between two entitites.

→ Tap or Hover on the Circles.

1 2 3 4 5

Skin 1

→ Outer Shell
→ Approach Barrier

Skin 2

→ Inner Shell
→ Compatibility

Skin 3

→ Comfort Layer
→ Relaxed Existence

Skin 4

→ Intimate layer
→ Dependency Injection

Skin 5

→ Mind-Soul Connectivity
→ Wisdom

Skin 1

→ Outer Shell
→ Approach Barrier

Skin 2

→ Inner Shell
→ Compatibility

Skin 3

→ Comfort Layer
→ Relaxed Existence

Skin 4

→ Intimate layer
→ Dependency Injection

Skin 5

→ Mind-Soul Connectivity
→ Wisdom

Human · Human
Human · Machine
& Machine · Machine
interactions are quite
ubiquitous.

There are uncountable (well, not literally) examples of interactions which occur between any two entities (inanimate or living) every second.

Believe it or not, irrespective of the type of entity, the general framework of interaction and relationship between them fits really well to establish better communications between them.

Can we understand
the relationship
between two
entitites?

If we have this understanding, we can leverage it to develop & design better interfaces between those two entities.

Have you heard
about Mark Knapp?

Mark L. Knapp (born - July 12th, 1938) is a professor at the University of Texas and is greatly known for his works in nonverbal communication research and in evolving interactions.

He developed a theoretical model for relational enhancement which routes the interpersonal development between two people. He proposed a theory famously known as Knapp's relationship model or Knapp's model of interaction stages.

While this theory was formalized with humans in mind, but after reading through this pristine work, I realized that this theory could be extended to inanimate objects, particularly machines as well.

READ MORE →

So, what is Knapp's
model of interaction?

The model basically consists of growing and dividing interaction stages between two entities.

The stages represent the intensity of the relationship.

Each stage has several dimensions like dependency, investment, compatibility and more which give insights into understanding that stage.

Stages of
Coming Together.

  1. Initiation
  2. Experimentation
  3. Intensifying
  4. Integration
  5. Bonding

Stages of
Coming Apart.

  1. Differentiating
  2. Circumscribing
  3. Stagnation
  4. Avoidance
  5. Terminating

Lets dig into
each stage.

If you are on smaller display,
you will see limited information.

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←  ESCALATION

01.

Initiation



• Outer Shell
• Approach Barrier

This very short stage is all about making an impression. This is all about meeting and making an impact.

Trust 


Dependency 


Formality 




Human  Ξ  Human

Basic Points

• Leave a positive impact on the other entity.
• Impression on the opposite entity by showcasing the best performance/version.

Potential Drawbacks

• Humans are not their true selves in order to leave their best impressions.
• Superficial kindof relationship.

Example Story

• A guy asks a girl out for first date.


Human  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• Usability of the machine must ease something for the Human.
• Machine must learn something about the human's requirement and analyze if it is a fit for the application that machine caters to.

Potential Drawbacks

• Machine is limited by how it is programmed.
• Human is limited by factors pertaining to the usage of machine on the basis of his/her understanding.

Example Story

• A human trying using vending machine for the first time.


Machine  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• Requirements of each machine must fit well with the other, like an adapter.
• Signal or information passed from one machine to the other, after processinng, must return a valid feedback.

Potential Drawbacks

• Both Machines are limited by how they are programmed.
• There could be a significant difference in how both machines were individually disigned by their fellow human teams.
• Requirements for adapting the other machine must be known beforehand.

Example Story

• A Machine fabricating silicon chips to be consumed by other machine to assemble a toy.



02.

Experiment



• Inner Shell
• Compatibility

This stage is about probing and exploring to understand more facets about the other entity.

Trust 


Dependency 


Formality 




Human  Ξ  Human

Basic Points

• Analyze the other human for information or a common interest.
• Decide whether to maintain a relationship with other human.
• Use small talk for self disclosure.

Potential Drawbacks

• Most of the relationships wind up here due to the different interest levels.
• Due to different personality types, some people are not as capable of sharing information as compared to others.

Example Story

• The guy and the girl meet again and talk about simple subjects of family, hobbies, work; etc.


Human  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• Human probes for features/steps in the machine pertaining to the task he/she wants to accomplish.
• Machine responds according to the actions taken by the human on the machine.

Potential Drawbacks

• Human might be performing incorrect actions to perform the task.
• Machine might not be capable of providing feedback in the case when human does something wrong (incorrect actions).

Example Story

• The human inserting currency into the machine and selecting the product he/she wants.


Machine  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• Each machine must analyze and validate if the input given to it from the other machine fits well within the requirements.
• Possible set of validation test checks must be performed on the input recieved.

Potential Drawbacks

• There could be a significant difference in how both machines were individually designed to produced output.
• Validation checks on the input recieved must be robust.

Example Story

• Silicon chips from one machine are passed onto the second machine's inlet. The second machine inspects the silicon chips with validation tests.



03.

Intensifying



• Comfort Layer
• Relaxed Existence

This stage is about more intense experimentation. Interactions become less stiff and formal here. Smooth flow begins here.

Trust 


Dependency 


Formality 




Human  Ξ  Human

Basic Points

• Find various ways to nurture the relationship in order to strengthen interpersonal development.
• Reveal personal information and analyze the impression on the other person.

Potential Drawbacks

• As more information is revealed about the other person, there might be chances that the other person becomes less interested now.

Example Story

• The guy and the girl meet more frequently and talk about personal stuff like family, share gifts or do favors; etc.


Human  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• Human figures out a way to perform the task through the machine.
• Machine responds according to the actions taken by the human on every step to guide him/her.

Potential Drawbacks

• There might be some external barriers to convey useful information or feedback and hence, Human fails to accomplish the task at hand.

Example Story

• The human succesfully understands how to use the vending machine to buy a product.


Machine  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• One machine is succesfully able to process the input it recieves from the other machine's output.

Potential Drawbacks

• Due to external factors the machine might not be able to process the input from the other machine.
• Validation checks on the input recieved could lead to a failure.

Example Story

• Silicon chips recieved as an input from other machine's output pass the validation checks and are succesfully used to manufacture toys.



04.

Integration



• Intimate Layer
• Dependency Injection

This stage is about getting more closer to the other entity. A sense of dependency emerges here. Attachment is introduced and deeper understanding becomes prevalent.

Trust 


Dependency 


Formality 




Human  Ξ  Human

Basic Points

• The people will start to make their relationship as much closer than before.
• Take actions to make this relationship permanent.

Potential Drawbacks

• As more information is revealed about the other person, there might be chances that the other person becomes less interested now.

Example Story

• The guy and the girl, after several months label their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend.


Human  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• Human has figured out the usage of machine and will use it to perform the required task.
• Machine has profiled the human user and customizes its features for ease of usage.

Potential Drawbacks

• There might be some rare unexpected external problems when machine simply doesn't work or its software is upgraded.

Example Story

• The human uses the same vending machine whenever he/she wants to buy a product and the machine has saved his most frequent orders for one-touch ordering.


Machine  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• The machines work perfectly well together so they are attached end-to-end to work in a flow.

Potential Drawbacks

• There might be some rare unexpected external problems when either of the machines simply doesn't work or its software version becomes uncompatible with the other machine.

Example Story

• Silicon chips fabricted from first machine are led via a conveyor belt to the other machine's inlet which uses them to assemble final toys.



05.

Bonding



• Wisdom Layer
• Mind Soul Connectivity

This is the final stage of the coming together half of the relational model. Majority of intimate relationships will remain committed in this stage until separation due to unavoidable circumstances.

Trust 


Dependency 


Formality 




Human  Ξ  Human

Basic Points

• This stage puts the relationship on public display and suggests that the relationship is exclusive.
• People will honor their commitment legally.

Potential Drawbacks

• Due to some unavoidable reasons, the partners in the relationship might not be happy with the commitment they share.
• Since this is a lifelong learning process, people might not appreciate some recently discovered truths about their partners.

Example Story

• The guy and the girl get married.


Human  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• Human becomes dependent on the machine to get the task done everytime.
• With every usage, human becomes more familiar with the machine's functions over time.
• Machine has stored the profile for the human with his custom machine feature usage patterns.

Potential Drawbacks

• Machine's features might be upgraded with time and human might find hard to keep up with that.

Example Story

• The human gets extremely familiar with using the vending machine and he/she frequently selects the one touch buying options machine has customized for him/her.


Machine  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• The machines are setup with permanent connections between them.
• This ensemble of machines is attached together and is made to function this way.

Potential Drawbacks

• Upgrades might arrive on the machines for better efficiency with time which will lead to breaking up of this ensemble between machines.

Example Story

• Toy Company permanently attached the machines (Silicon Chip fabrication unit & Toy assembling unit) together and customized their individual controls to work seamless with the other machine in the ensemble.



←  COMING  APART

06.

Differentiating



• Wisdom Layer
• Mind Soul Connectivity

Differentiating is a stage of disengaging or uncoupling. During this stage, differences between the relationship entities are emphasized and what was thought to be similarities begins to disintegrate.

Trust 


Dependency 


Formality 




Human  Ξ  Human

Basic Points

• Partners quickly begin to become more individualistic in their attitudes.
• The relationship will start to fade and the everlasting bond will be broken.

Potential Drawbacks

• The perspective of each partner could be contradicting to what other thinks or expects.

Example Story

• The guy comes up with idea of quitting the job and to do something he wanted. The girl rejects the idea with some reasoning. So a pressure is created inside the relationship.


Human  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• The human is no longer able to keep up adequately with the advanced features and its usages on the machine.
• Due to human's lack of interest, mistakes are prone to occur and hence machine would no longer be able to serve properly to the needs.

Potential Drawbacks

• Human tendency to get too comfortable with old system and not wanting to adapt to new system.

Example Story

• Due to a new software rolled out on the vending machines, human has to follow extra steps to buy the same product.


Machine  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• Machines are no longer able to keep up with the requirements of each other. This could be due to degradation of machines or even upgradation which might introduce latency.
• Failures or defects become more frequent.

Potential Drawbacks

• Both Machines are limited by how they were programmed to upgrade.
• Requirements for adapting the other machine might not be taken into enough consideration beforehand.

Example Story

• The silicon fabricating machine gets an upgrade and it becomes a little faster (little enough to be considered as within safe thresholds).



07.

Circumscribing



• Intimate Layer
• Dependency Rejection

Circumscribing sees a qualitative and quantitative decrease in information exchange. This stage is marked by less total communication in terms of number of interactions, depth and breadth of topics discussed, and communication occurs in shorter durations.

Trust 


Dependency 


Formality 




Human  Ξ  Human

Basic Points

• After differentiating partners will limit their interactions and will set up boundaries.
• Personal spaces and interests would be introduced.

Potential Drawbacks

• People might fail to understand that their partners need personal space.

Example Story

• The girl started talking more about the general topics and started avoiding the conversation on quitting the job. The guy does the same.


Human  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• The gap between human and the machine increases as human loses interest further.
• Machine might go into failure mode several times after being subjected to Human's incorrect inputs.

Potential Drawbacks

• Human doesn't intend to perform actions to understand and improvise.
• Machine might not be able to recover from some failure and its functionality might degrade in the process.

Example Story

• The human due to irritation from performing multiple steps, resorts to pressing wrong buttons, thereby causing the vending machine to hang or reboot on few occasions.


Machine  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• Failures become more frequent which thereby impacts efficiency and overhead costs.

Potential Drawbacks

• Both Machines are limited by how they were programmed to upgrade or how degraded is the other machine in the ensemble.
• Failure handling might be handled properly, which could have massive impact in the big picture.

Example Story

• Due to the latency difference between the two machines, the toy assembling machine unit might not be able to process the incoming silicon chips and further discard them to waste altogether.



08.

Stagnation



• Comfort Layer
• Unbearable co-existence

In this stage, what were once patterns in the relationship become ruts and entities feel stuck. Communication or interaction reduces drastically.

Trust 


Dependency 


Formality 




Human  Ξ  Human

Basic Points

• The interaction will become more limited.
• This phase persists just to avoid the pain of the further stages or due to some unavoidable reasons.
• Its extremely rare that the relationship would trace back to the previous stages.

Potential Drawbacks

• Some people don't lose hope and keep trying too hard. This sometimes can lead to a huge conflict.

Example Story

• The girl found that there is not much to talk about in general and will remain silent even though they live in the same house. So there is a serious communication gap between the girl and the guy.


Human  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• The machine might remain shutdown or non-functional more frequently subject to incorrect actions of the Human.
• Human on the other hand would only use the machine when its very urgent on rare occasions.

Potential Drawbacks

• Human failure to not adapt to the new usage conditions of the machine might lead to permanent damage of the machine.

Example Story

• The human uses the vending machine very rarely now.


Machine  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• To avoid increasing frequency of failures and wastage, the machines are switched on very rarely.

Potential Drawbacks

• Detection of failure might not be too intuitive or sudden and thereby, the machines would keep on running with large numbers of failures leading to increased wastage.

Example Story

• As increased number of silicon chips are seen in waste, the toy company decided to keep the machines off most of the time.



09.

Avoidance



• Inner Shell
• Incompatibility introduced

The avoidance stage sees entities exist in separate physical environments. When actual avoidance cannot take place, however, entities will simply avoid any interaction. Forms of distancing are also common at this stage are - Avoidance, Disengagement and Cognitive-Dissociation.

Trust 


Dependency 


Formality 




Human  Ξ  Human

Basic Points

• The partners intentionally avoid any contacts and they will be physically detached.
• They restrict themselves from any forms of interaction to avoid an argument.

Potential Drawbacks

• Even a small interaction in the direction of fixing things could lead to a big argument.

Example Story

• Guy packs his bags and walks out of the house. By the time the girl would have completely avoided the guy and will not attempt to stop him.


Human  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• The machine will remain shutdown intermittently and is only run when there is extreme requirement.
• Human would avoid using the machine.

Potential Drawbacks

• It might be futile to invest any resources in the machine at this point.

Example Story

• The human avoids using the vending machine at this point.


Machine  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• The machines are put out of usage intermittently.

Potential Drawbacks

• It might be futile to invest any resources in any of the machines at this point. Incompatibility is at play here and it cannot be simply avoided.

Example Story

• The ensemple of machines is kept powered off intermittently. It is only used rarely when there is an extreme requirement.



10.

Terminating



• Outer Shell
• Approach barrier re-introduced

This is the final stage of coming apart. In this stage, the relationship between the entities ends entirely. This stage is unavoidable and relationships can terminate at any time.

Trust 


Dependency 


Formality 




Human  Ξ  Human

Basic Points

• The partners will take different paths and will go on with their lives.
• The Termination is not just a subjective decision but it can occur naturally.

Potential Drawbacks

• Forcing of a subjective or a public termination agreement might lead to massive arguments.

Example Story

• The guy and the girl get a divorce.


Human  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• The machine will be shutdown permanently.
• The Human finds an alternative way to get his/her task accomplished.

Potential Drawbacks

• The human might not find an alternative to accomplish his/her task.

Example Story

• The human stopped buying products from the vending machine.


Machine  Ξ  Machine

Basic Points

• The machines would be shutdown permanently.

Potential Drawbacks

• The shutdown of machines could incur additional costs. Also, searching for an alternative option could be an expensive option.

Example Story

• Toy Company would permanently shutdown the machines and would install alternative machines for manufacturing toys.



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