Multimedia Production

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION 4(1+3)

Lesson 9 : Interactivity

Users Classification

Level 1: PASSIVE

1. At this most basic level there is no interactivity as such. The”viewer” simply watches an image or screen and has no opportunity to change the experience other than turning off the equipment or leaving the room. Eg. TV with only one channel
   The key factors here are that
2. the user is not involved in the authoring process in any way
3. the user is given no choice during the presentation itself
4. there is no opportunity to respond to the presentation (other than that which is determined by the ‘user’)
5. the user’s needs and interests may or may not be taken into account

Level 2: NAVIGATIONAL

1. Navigational interactivity allows one to move through an information space to accomplish a goal, using such things as commands, menus, search engines, or hypertext links.
2. At the simplest level, the choice is A or B, right or left, up or down. (Think of navigating in a basic logic-based computer game).
3. However, the user is limited to passive viewing of the information which is chosen. Eg: Hypertext, the ability to navigate in non-linear ways.

Level 3: FUNCTIONAL

1. Functional interactivity takes place “where the user interacts with the system to accomplish a goal or set of goals. That goal may be winning, as in the case of a game, or ordering a product, as in the case of an online catalog.
2. Throughout the interaction the user receives feedback on their progress, In other words, functional interactivity has a feedback loop – a score, a progress chart, a reward, or advice.
3. Functional interactivity allows the participant to personalize the experience within a given range of parameters.

Level 4: ADAPTIVE

1. Adaptive interactivity “offers a far higher level of creative control to the user, allowing the user to adapt the application or information space to fit their goals, or even their personality.”
2. At lower levels of interactivity, the user participates within given rules or options. With adaptive interactivity, the ‘rules’ allow a much higher level of creativity.
3. Here one can change some of the rules, or at least the environment. At this level, a person is not simply playing a game or completing a task, they are shaping the game, altering the task, and creating new outcomes, within certain parameters. Eg: Wikipedia

Level 5: HYPERADATIVE

1. “Hyperadaptivity will provide the user/creator, for the user becomes a creator in a fully interactive multisensory naturalistic information space.
2. This will be a powerful augmentative mind tool, that will allow the collaborative exploration and creation of interconnected information spaces.
3. Hyperadaptivity also encompasses the creation of intelligent information spaces that interact with the user at a deep level.”
4. “Properly designed hyperadaptive sites will fully engage and evolve with the user/creator at every level, more so when we have the bandwidth to support full Virtual Reality.