What is Interactivity?
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. this opposite reaction is called interaction. Since Internet is an interactive medium and successful websites are those that are built on a foundation of interactivity., it is little wonder that we respond with the most interest and comfort when our Internet experiences feel interactive as well. Interactivity plays an important role in conversation on the web.
Adding Interactivity
At Creative Web Solutions, we build sites that promote communications through enhanced interactivity on your website. The websites we build open two-way communications between your company and your users. Interactivity is a very broad term and used with great liberty online. As we say “Smart Websites that entertain users, inform and bring them back!”. One of the most commonly used interactivity on internet is FORMS PROCESSING. It is still the most widely used interactivity on websites where we enter our enquiris for a particular product and we get a response to the enquiry directly to our email ids.
An action often is prompted by a thought or emotion, which creates an expectation for a specific response. Should the response be as desired, the experience is positive. A positive experience naturally leads to satisfaction with the action taken, and a willingness to take additional steps. This is why interactivity is so crucial to conversation! Creative Web Solutions have demonstrated many different types of innovative interactive elements to show that interaction can be more than just filling out forms. We can make “smart” applications like forms checked for inconsistencies prior to submission and have forms that dynamically change options based on other selections combined with dynamic instant help pop-ups.
While all the above “smart” applications can contribute to a highly responsive user experience, but the one by which Creative Web Solutions can create the most impact in your sites to attract users ultimately is the creation of streaming content such as flash. Flash not only allows streaming informational content, which optimizes download time for larger files, but it can also easily add interactivity to the presentation without significantly affecting file size. Additionally, a properly planned flash interface can load all needed components incrementally, and in sequence, without the user ever suspecting that anything is missing. This creates an interactive experience that makes the users feel instantaneous.
Interactivity Tools that you need in your Website
1) Newsletters & Articles Manager & Archive Tool (works with Email Manager):
This feature of Creative Web Solutions allows your website administrator to post current articles and newsletters of interest, and also to archive the information. The Newsletter Tool works with the Email Manager, and can automatically mail your newsletter to as many people as wish and have on your email account list. We also provide a “Search” facility (in simple language data search and data feeding) for finding past newsletters or articles for your visitors to read or the administrator to find, and can manage multiple accounts.
2) Email Manager (works with Newsletter Manager):
The effectiveness of this function cannot be understated. It keeps people in touch, not only with the website, but also the business or area making them feel a part of it. This function collects email addresses from a “Subscribe” function, and also automatically manages multiple lists.
3) An Executive Calendar:
Creative Web Solution provides a monthly wall calendar grid for important activities and events on request. This is a great function for Chamber and Tourism Associations also. We can customise the calendar according to required size and can include optional supplementary information in a drop-down box.
4) Web Page Generator:
One more feature of Creative Web Solutions is Web Page Generator is perfect for creating pages for product information, recipies, articles, resource pages, listing area accommodations, restaurants, attractions, guide services, or other important information. An easily managed feature with many applications.
5) Guest Book or Message Board {Testimonials}:
In simple words it is an area that allows website visitors to post their remarks, comments or ask questions say like discussion forums (explained below). An excellent function for unsolicited testimonials or for a guestbook. We even provide a “Sign” and “View” function.
6) Poll/Survey Question {Discussion Forums}:
Discussio Forums are great way for viewers to become involved. This multi-purpose function shows results as well. The viewers can get reply to thier questions or experiences as well. An excellent tool for determining viewer demographics.
7) Suggest This Site to a Friend {Share our site}:
A simple but very effective tool which Creative Web Solution uses in expanding the viewership of a web. {NOTE: This tool needs to be functioned by the Outdoors Online administrator}.
[Read Article on more features that are available]
A few examples of the many interactive features which can be incorporated into a website:
- Personalizing the site so that returning customers are greeted by name
- Questionnaires which return results based on submitted answers
- Simple games
- Searchable databases of information
- Message boards and discussion forums.
- Make the website easy to use
[For more details Read this Article]
Ultimately it refers to the process by which a user initiates an action and receives a response based on that action.
Interactivity plays a key role in online conversations
Interactivity is the cornerstone of every strategy aimed at attracting, keeping and motivating users to act. Due to a number of factors and increasing web technologies, there are rising important reasons to examine the role of interactivity on the web today.
Due to following reasons interactivity is gaining importance:
1) What happens when too little interactivity?
Now a days web designers often present sites with heavy text, little or no instant interactivity other than fast loading text pages. {specially for better Seo rankings}.
[For more details read this Article]
Research has shown that people read differently on the screen than in printed form. Actually, web users read fewer words and more slowly than when reading printed material. Interactivity is a method to engage and inform visitors without forcing them to read uncomfortable amounts of type on the screen.
2) Too much emphasis on show business
Some companies make special efforts to create an interactive platform for their prospects. Many of these sites, however, provide interactivity via enormous video or flash files ignoring download times, usability and purpose. When such interactive feature are poorly planned from a marketing perspective, it is easy for the programmers to use this function as a display of their creativity and technical skill. While creativity has a crucial place in marketing, it loses its power when the needs of the target audience are not made paramount, and when the core purpose is ignored.
3) Slow response or bad interactivity makes the user less interested in our sites
Users interact with the real world in real time. Even computers respond within the 0.1 – 1 second timeframe that provides an instant or at least interactive experience. Therefore, a slow response will quickly bore or frustrate a user unless steps are taken to optimize the experience.
Be interactive; good interactivity engages the user and makes your site memorable.
A truly interactive user experience makes it much easier for users to forget about external distractions and instead focus on the current website environment they are interacting with. The Web is an interactive hypermedia communications medium that your Web site should reflect. Sites that involve the user and have a sense of fun or adventure will get more hits, and can charge more for ad space.
Another advantage of interactivity is self-generating content. By allowing your visitors to interact with your site they actually create content for you.