This I think has always been the constant tussle between the two schools of design :

1) The functional : This school fo thought would probably celebrate the reduction of the medium to the minimum. ( form follows function, could be stretched to a point where form/medium is introduced only when it is necessary )

2) Experience design: Where the experiencing the medium in itself becomes the goal. Designers like Ross Lovegrove would be ideal proponents of this school of thought .

In the end as a we application designer one ends up switching between the two extremes based on context.

btw : Amazon’s http://www.windowshop.com/ would be an ideal example of immersive experience. But then the heuristics for this new navigation are not set , so the user will have to expend more time and energy negotiating the medium. Probably that is why we wont see it move out of beta for a few years .

For example – making sure it is clear what action can be taken next. The simplified payment process by Zong eliminates steps (especially since many facebook customers do not have credit cards). For a designer this can also show up as part of the constant quest for simplicity and minimization. Narrowing communication down to the critical elements that build towards a desired transaction.

Another way of putting it may be that the designer must fully leverage the medium they are working in. As Christian says above, that can then involve breaking the medium to call attention and startle a reader or improving an existing mechanism in a way that users can grasp (like Amazon’s single click purchase.) If a designer defies expectations too much they risk pushing a user out of the experience completely.

Interesting topic. Well worth pursuing.

1. i *wish* i could be considered IU’s “new media expert” but alas, i am not

2. we do not *always* seek for interactions to be “immediate” (not mediated). In fact, there are some times when we want to *call attention* to the medium itself for aesthetic, cultural, business or other reasons. For example, Zong may not want to completely erase themselves from the consciousness of their users if it undermines their ability to develop end user brand awareness. As another example i often use in class, part of the art of Ferris Bueller’s day off is the skillful use of “hypermediacy” when the director calls attention to the medium by having Matthew Broderick talk directly to the audience, artfully breaking the trance of transparency usually sought after in movies which makes the viewer forget they are in a theater. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO68zwTXFWk