One distinciton I see in design is the what vs how. The what is about deciding what to make the how is figuring out how to make it. As an interaction designer, it’s important to be able to move fluidly between both the what and the how of design.

One way an interaction designer can help define the what is by prototyping. The ability to prototype interfaces and interactions quickly is critical when trying to figure out what to make. Key stakeholders and users respond much more precisely when they see an interface or interaction rather than trying to mentally put together what it might look like based on a 30 page spec.

Interaction designers must also be able to communicate at some meaningful level the how to developers and engineers. When developing a prototype, interaction designers must not let technology limit their ideas, but they must be mindful of the technical implications their ideas have when it comes time to develop their ideas.

To me, this is why being an interaction design is so fun. One day you could be creating prototypes in Flash, not worrying about database optimization, strict coding principles or any of that stuff. And then the next day, you might be exercising your ability to technically translate your ideas so that you and/or engineers can figure out how to make it.