What’s the Big Deal about Interactivity? Plenty actually…!

The other day, when someone casually wondered about what are the essential components of a well-designed web site, it set many of us thinking as to how many people really think before they design! Designing a web site is not about finding the most creative elements; it is about providing easy access to the required information to the user and meeting the objectives of the web site owner.

A web site does not increase in its popularity overnight just by sheer luck. It does not follow the protocol “if you build, they will come”. A web site has to ensure it offers information in an easy to access and attractive way to find loyal users who find value in returning back to the site. A web site owner may think of different strategies to grab user attention. Adding freebies or contests, or attempts to make the page visually interesting are some of the options used.

However, what very few people realize is the necessity and importance of the usage of interactivity on web pages. Interactivity is not about adding a form or a button on a web page where people can click. Such kind of basic elements such as radio buttons and tool tips are web interfaces. Interactivity is the next step in the evolution of web interfaces. It is much more engaging with a complete experience in it. With the use of interactivity, users engage better with the web site content and hence stay longer on the page. Few examples of interactivities are a 3D Flip Book or a Poll which causes users to interact with the page wherein the page in turn, responds to the inputs of the user.

Based on this web designers would think that planning and creation of such interactivity involves programming which may be time consuming. It may not always be feasible to use interactivity due to the time factor involved in its creation.

However, with Rapid Interactivity, one can create and use interactivities into web pages very easily. Rapid interactivity is a new paradigm, with the help of which web designers and developers can add interactivity to web sites in minutes without programming.

An apt example for Interactivity would be a 3 Dimensional Flip Book. Users can actually feel the pleasure of flipping a book on a web page. This creates a better visual presentation for showcasing products or to explain any concept. Such an interactive Flip Book can now be created within minutes through easy customization.

Deep and meaningful interactions when added to web pages are like a value-addition to web sites. Interactive ways of communicating a message will ensure that the users who visit a web site will not only be engaged and return back sooner, they will even recommend it to others. It’s all about simplifying issues…!

Bridging the Gap between Technicality and Design

When it comes to technicalities and design, there is always a tussle between the two. Somehow, even if both the facets can go hand-in-hand with each other, it may be difficult to get both departments see eye-to-eye at times.

This is something I had witnessed in a company that my friend had begun few years back. There was a constant need to improvise the design of the web site. The tough task was trying to convince both the departments to work with perfect co-ordination. While one supported a creative web design layout, the other grumbled a lot about the need to create fast loading pages and the time required for the development of such interactive pages. Here, I need not describe in detail about the web site owner and how his nerves were frazzled with what was going on in the company!

The main problem faced by this friend, (I can safely reveal his name - Mark), was the need to create a web site that was very attractive in terms of the design elements that could attract and engage users. A large amount of time was spent on the conceptualization of the main theme for the web site. This was followed by innumerable design changes and clashes with the developers who are on the lookout to create web sites with very few technical glitches! Well, one can’t ignore the fact that both are right in their own way!

While Mark hoped for a solution, I could only feel sorry for his plight! I am sure many of you are facing similar problems on the professional life and looking out for a simple solution. Surely there is a solution…!

Imagine if you could add a 3Dimensional interaction to a web page or showcase your product catalogue through a 3D flipbook! I know the first reaction to this would be that it will take plenty of time for creation. However, this may not always be true!

It’s no secret that Raptivity Web Expert can be used to make your web sites more interactive within minutes! .You can take your pick from various interactivities like a 3Dimensional Flip book or 3Dimensional cube. You can even try Panning Cards or opt for the Guided Tour. All these interactions can be customized easily to suit your requirements sans programming! As a web designer, you can choose from the set of interactivities that best suit your product display. All you need to do is decide upon the interaction and customize it with images, text matter and audio as per your requirement. Easy enough for a creative web site that meets your needs!

A web site packed with creativity and with minimum development is now a reality!

How to Bring Your Web Pages Alive In Minutes: A Practical Guide

Last week, we read how Raptivity Web Expert can be used to make a staid travel web site look really interesting and interactive. Many people were curious to know how to create such an interaction! Hence, I have compiled quick steps for all users to know how easy it is to create such interactions within minutes!

Let us see how Panning Card interaction can be customized for a Web Site

1) Once you install Raptivity Web Expert, open it and click on ‘New Interactivity’.

2) This will open up a new window displaying various interactions. Select the Panning Cards interaction.

3) Once selected, a wizard opens up to customize the interaction such as specifying the number of cards you want to use, title of the interaction etc. Fill in the required details or simply click on Next.

4) Once done, you are ready to customize the details of the interaction. Enter the required content in the form of text, images and audio.

5) To customize a card you can do the following things:

Select the image to be displayed on the card. Then add the text that gives more information about the image. You can also attach an audio file to be played when a user selects this card.

6) Once you have entered information for all cards, save the interactivity. Then publish it to create a SWF file. Your Panning Card is ready to be inserted into your web site. Now you can simply add this SWF file to your web page through an embed tag.

Watch your web site come alive to grab attention of users!