Interactionscannot

Interactionscannot is a theoretical construct used in the analysis of interactive systems to denote the set of interactions that cannot occur under a given configuration, policy, or physical constraint. It is defined in relation to the broader space of potential interactions, with interactionscannot representing the complement of what a system permits or enables. The concept helps designers and researchers reason about limitations induced by software interfaces, safety rules, privacy settings, or hardware constraints.

The term is a neologism formed from interaction and cannot, and has appeared in scholarly discussions and design critiques as a way to articulate forbiddances within a model of interaction. In practice, interactionscannot is operationalized by specifying the system context, the actors involved, and the constraints, then identifying actions or communications that cannot occur as a result.

In applications, interactionscannot supports risk assessment and design evaluation by clarifying what is not allowed, such as a messaging platform that prohibits sending content when the user is offline, or a smart home system that cannot unlock doors without explicit authentication. It also helps in formal modeling, for example in constraint satisfaction frameworks where forbidden transitions are explicit.

Limitations include the difficulty of capturing dynamic contexts and the potential for ambiguity about whether a constraint is permanent or situational. As a heuristic, interactionscannot is most useful when paired with models of possible interactions and with explicit definitions of scope and time.