Beyond Attracting Users to Websites!

All creative geniuses always love to bask in the glory of being poles apart from the rest. However, in terms of web design, as you all agree, one needs to be creative knowing that the design has to communicate and convey the message effectively.

This is exactly the reason I have always felt the need to use website interactivity for web design. I am sure by now, just like thousands of web designers and developers worldwide, you have followed the benefits of website interactivity. This time round, I have yet another way of designing websites with interesting creative elements.

As a web designer, apart from attracting users to websites, it is also required to make the user perform an action on the page. Only then, can the message be communicated to the web visitor effectively. Let us take an example of a Page Peel Banner (see below). What I have here is an interactivity that is used effectively to present the company/brand. I thought of creating this sample so that you can know exactly why a Page Peel Banner can be an effective medium to present a message to users on the Internet.

The Page Peel banner attracts users and it also keeps them engaged on the site. As seen, a user has to peel off the first layer to know the complete information. When the first panel is peeled off, the second one is revealed below. This retains the interest of the user. In the example shown, the product information is presented through different slides to generate interest. The range is presented in panels with headings that catch attention, yet do not honestly reveal the details. The best part about this example is yet to be revealed! I took barely 10 minutes for the creation of the entire Page Peel banner - of course by using Raptivity Web Expert, the unique tool for interactive websites!

That’s what I call website interactivity with a difference! I feel, I had a great time designing without really spending a lot of time on Flash. Right now, I am looking forward to reading about your experiences in website design! Please do feel free to share your thoughts as well!

Target View Size: Mistaken Identity!

Sometimes I'm confused by what I think is really obvious. But what I think is really obvious obviously isn't obvious...

- Michael Stipe

You might be thinking deeply about this statement or might be…well, plain confused. It does happen that the obvious is not actually obvious! There should be no confusion about this statement. As I know that everyone often fails to see the obvious in life.

These words have flowed from my mind for a reason. It was just another sunny day and I read yet another mail that brought with it the same confusion. No, I am no agony aunt out here; I meant it was related to the product - Raptivity Web Expert. Similar kinds of mails over a couple of days prompted me to put my thoughts into words. The common thread was all about an option provided in Raptivity Web Expert. I am talking about ‘Target View Size’.

The Target View Size panel is used to view the interactivity in the required height and width in pixels. When a user makes a change in either of the two, the other is calculated automatically. This is particularly useful to preview the interactivity in a given size. This does not affect the actual size of the interactivity output.

If you require the interactivity to fit into a defined space on your web page, you can make use of this option to preview the interactivity. The Target View Size panel helps you to view how the interactivity will appear in a given size. As correctly labeled, it is “Target View Size” and not “Target Size. The difference in both is that the former is meant only for preview and the latter is about a change in the actual size.

A simple option for a solution…but then, not all things can be really simple! At our end, we will definitely try to make things easier for you! In the meantime, suggestions are welcome…

Interactivity: An Important Ingredient in Web Design

Creativity should flow effortlessly. This applies to all facets of creative design. When creative ideas are implemented with great ease, the result lies in effortless and attractive design. Website design offers many such avenues for designers to discover their creativity especially with the use of Rapid Interactivity, a new phenomenon.

A basic problem that is seen in website design is the lack of time or knowledge of different packages that is required to create a good website layout. I have seen creative web designers who are unable to translate their ideas into the website. If we search the Internet today, we can find numerous ways through which one can have an attractive website without the need to know complex things about design!

Let us study some simple examples that can give an idea how certain subjects can be presented in an interesting way for users, with the use of a 3Dimensional cube. Give a thought and you will understand how a product feature can be presented in an interesting way. The most common way would be to have a catalogue style or rows of photographs that display the product. This may not necessarily interest users. Take a look at the 3Dimensional cube below to know how it can be used differently for various websites that deal in diverse topics.

This example shows how a 3Dimensional cube can present various angles of a mobile phone. The cube engages the user while presenting information about the product.

A travel website can look interesting when a 3Dimensional cube is used to present the top destinations. This 3Dimensional cube showcases some popular destinations in London.

A movie review site or one that is related to showing the listings can use this cube to present the top movies of 2009! This breaks away the usual trend of listing movies in a tabular format.

Top Ten Twitter Applications that are a Must-Have!

The world is tweeting and how! Twitter, a social networking web site is all about micro-blogging which took the world by storm. Well, when I first had a glance at Twitter I wondered what all the fuss was about! But as time unfolded, I realized there surely is more to it, sorry…let me rephrase that! There’s more to tweets than meets the eye!

It’s amazing how a simple concept has metamorphosed into something that has become a norm for users. What’s the most amazing thing are the Twitter applications also known as Twitter Tools. These enhance many aspects of Twitter and are a rage today. The concept of the application could be for any reason. It can improve the way you tweet or make this service easily accessible. If you’re confused about what I am trying to convey, skim through this 3Dimensional Flip Book. It contains a sneak peak of the 10 most popular Twitter Applications… However, don’t stick to this list only. There’s more in store.

I’m getting back to tweeting (@RWebExpert)…catch you there!

3D Flip book getting downloaded...



* This 3Dimensional Flip Book is made with Raptivity Web Expert

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…!

Bring Your Web Pages Alive Through Interactivity!

Adding interactivity to a web site has not always been as easy as it may sound. How many times have you tried to rack your brains trying to come up with easy solutions to make your web site appear as attractive as possible? After all, a web site holds importance for a business in many ways. A web site represents the company or business and therefore, it should speak volumes about the product or service.

The current concern for web site owners is not only about making a web site look appealing, it is also about generating enough traffic on the web site. The web site should be such that users would want to return to it again and again along with bringing referral traffic. Besides, it should even cause them to engage better with the web site.

So, how does one get users to stay longer on a web site? What will make them engage better and cause them to return back to the web site? Usually web designers/developers spend a lot of time trying to add interactivity to a web site. This involves complex programming which may take more effort and time than one can spare for this activity! At times like this, I am sure you would ask, “Is there an easier solution!?!!”

Sure there is! Raptivity Web Expert has all the answers to problems like these. Raptivity Web Expert helps to add enriching interactions to a web site with great ease! It contains a pre-built library of meaningful interactions that can be added conveniently to a web page! These interactions help to lift the overall experience of a web site and causes users to engage better and even return to the web site!

This does not mean that you need to spend hours on coding or programming for the interactions. With Raptivity Web Expert, you can simply customize complex interactions within minutes! Create interactions like 3D Flip book, 3D Cube, Panning Cards and many more such complex interactions by simply customizing them! Surprising isn’t it! The end result - an interactive web site created without any hassles! Leave it all up to Raptivity Web Expert.

So, when it comes to creating exciting interactions that can be added quickly and easily to web sites, look no further beyond Raptivity Web Expert. Visit our web site at http://www.raptivity.com/webexpert/index.html