Philosophy: Levels of Interactivity

Introduction

At Operand we believe that interactivity goes way beyond the web. It’s more than the digital presentation of content, media, and moving elements. In order to be truly engaging, interactive activities must be captivating and able to command attention. Participants should have the ability to manipulate the environment, set the direction, and affect the outcome of the activity.

Levels of Engagement for Interactivity is our philosophy. We developed it to help explain how people connect to interactive experiences. And why some are more compelling than others. We use it to help our clients bring their customer interactions to the next level. So that their customers are more engaged. It’s a practical sort of philosophy.

We started by defining a baseline. That’s the ground floor that interactivity allows us to rise above. Then we defined six increasing levels of engagement. Each successive level builds on and enhances the elements of the previous level.  Think of it like climbing a mountain.  Each time you get up to the next ridge the view gets a little better. And before you know it you can see for miles.

Philosophy: Levels of Interactivity

Ground Level: Observation

The ground we start building from is simply seeing. Look but don’t touch. Observation is essentially passive, supporting little or no control or manipulation from a participant. At the Observation level, the viewer has no control over the selection of content or the pacing of its presentation. The experience of Observation is third-person. Participants see a story being told through someone else.

While it may be at ground level, Observation is often appropriate. It all depends on the goal. If the goal is to broadcast information to a large group then an observational medium may be ideal. Movies and television are good examples. Observation level experiences can also be useful to provide background and set mood. Or as a precursor to experiences with higher levels of interactivity.

Philosophy: Levels of Interactivity

Level 1: Linear

Like a lot of first steps, the step up to Linear interactivity is a big one. It’s where the observer becomes the participant. And goes from passive to interactive. It’s such a big step, in fact, that content developers must get tired when they get here. At least that’s how it seems, because when a lot of people use the word “interactive” this is what they mean.

As the name says, Linear experiences are linear in structure. They only allow the participant to control pacing and/or direction. In other words, they can navigate forward and back. And they can choose a path within a hierarchical navigation. But the participant is still only a third party. A listener, if you will, albeit one with some degree of control.

Linear experiences can be engaging. Especially if the subject matter is interesting. So they are often appropriate. The typical website is Linear. Does your website have a site map? That’s a map of the linear structure of that site. There’s nothing wrong with that. Lots of important things can be communicated via a Linear experience. But we’re not your typical interactive agency, so we are definitely not stopping here.

Philosophy: Levels of Interactivity

Level 2: Immersive

Immersive activities employ visually rich multimedia to create experiences that transform the user’s perspective. That change in perspective is to the first-person.  The participant becomes an active character rather than an outside observer. This allows them to feel integrated into the experience and more engaged. Executed well, Immersive experiences subtly alter state of mind resulting in a “suspension of disbelief” in participants.

Immersive digital environments contain various experiential elements.  Often this entails a physical space and the use of large display screens, spatial audio, lighting, and other sensory stimuli such as scent or touch.  Multimedia art installations are often Immersive in this way, as are various types of simulators. But even on the web Immersion can be achieved by the use of animation, 3D graphics, photography, sound, etc. As long as a believable virtual environment is created, the user can connect with the activity. Virtual flyovers and walkthroughs of buildings and other architectural spaces are good examples of online Immersive experiences.

Immersive experiences offer increased entertainment value and a higher level of engagement. But subjects are immersed within a scripted environment.  Participants may exert some control over the experience by choosing the order of areas to explore, or the duration of time spent within each area. But movement through the environment, while Immersive, is still essentially linear.  

Philosophy: Levels of Interactivity

Level 3: Participatory

Participatory experiences require their users to play a role. To manipulate elements within the activity. Without the user’s participation, the activity cannot progress. Participants, in effect, create their own unique experiences.  The experience becomes something they “do” rather than something they “see”. They become active participants rather than passive observers.

Modern console games, for instance, are usually Participatory activities. Active participation brings the user deeper into the experience, immersing them in the story.  Because their choices have a direct effect on outcomes, the user becomes increasingly invested as the experience progresses. Even though it may be illusory, participants feel they are affecting the eventual outcome and this gives a sense of personal ownership to the experience.  

Philosophy: Levels of Interactivity

Level 4: Contributory

Contributory experiences bring participation up another notch. In these activities users are enlisted to contribute original content and information to further personalize the experience. This user-generated content then makes up the bulk of the experience for all users. Without it, there would generally be no experience. Online sites for sharing photos, videos, networks of friends, personal interests, web links, etc. are all completely Contributory.  The “creators” of these communities provide simply collectors and containers that can be populated. The real creators of the experiences are the users of these sites themselves.

The great thing about contributory experiences when it comes to engagement is that is leverages the inherent motivations of human nature. The fact that all of the content comes from others whom the participant can identify with triggers basic social instincts. The content becomes much more personal and compelling. And the opportunity to contribute one’s own ideas can stoke the ego and up the ante even further.  In addition, engagement is furthered by the increased sense of ownership among participants. They often draw others into the community not just for the experience itself, but specifically to share their own contributions.

Philosophy: Levels of Interactivity

Level 5: Collective

Even in a very engaging Participatory or Contributory experience, the term interactivity refers to the interaction of the participants with a computer (or perhaps some other inanimate object).  Digital interactivity is powerful precisely because computers can provide a passable imitation of sentience. But real human behavior cannot yet be duplicated. So when an activity allows people to interact directly with one another a whole new level of engagement can be opened up.  Here again the interactions can align with people’s instincts for social connection, competition, romance, etc.  Multi-player games and dating websites are both Collective in this way.

Activities at the Collective level can also draw strength from the multiplicity of Contributory engagement and take it to the next level.  When organized properly, the diversity of knowledge and viewpoints from a large community can be distilled into a Collective wisdom.  This “wisdom of crowds” effect can produce impressive results that no individual or small team could hope to match.  Such Collective content, far greater than the sum of its parts, now becomes extremely useful rather than just entertaining, which further improves its ability to engage.

Philosophy: Levels of Interactivity

Level 6: Pervasive

When interactive experiences extend across multiple touch points they begin to be Pervasive.  The experience may cross the spatial boundaries between home, work, and so-called “third space.” The Interactions may involve numerous types of media channels. Or the payoff may simply be valuable enough to keep people coming back. The key differentiator of Pervasive interactivity is frequent, ongoing interaction with the experience. Pervasive experiences offer the possibility of a long term relationship between the experience and its participants. 

At the furthest extreme, a Pervasive experience is completely transparent. It becomes seamlessly integrated into the daily lives of its participants. Indistinguishable from the rest of life, and perhaps no longer thought of as an “experience” in and of itself.  New technologies, once adopted, usually reach this plateau.  What once seemed frivolous becomes a necessity. Think of innovations like the automobile, the telephone, the personal computer, the Internet.

Philosophy: Levels of Interactivity

Conclusion

If there is a common theme throughout the preceding analysis, it is the importance of the human.  In digital interactivity (as in any interactivity) what matters is the human experience that results.  Interactive experience design requires analysis of many factors.  Business objectives, user goals, space constraints, time allotments, budgets, and physical limitations all must be taken into account.  And the resulting experience must be viscerally satisfying to use.

The determination of the appropriate level for a given experience depends on all these factors. Such experiential design is more art than science.  Certain experiences may be hybrids, utilizing elements from multiple areas or occupying the grey area between levels. As stated at the beginning, these levels are more like a mountain than a ziggurat. They flow organically from one to the next.  Nevertheless, we feel Operand’s Levels of Engagement for Interactivity provides a framework for talking about interactivity. 

And for our clients it provides a starting point, allowing us to help you target key areas in the realization of your vision.  Our goal in the design of experiences is to compact the variability of life experiences into a coherent interactive experience, removing the mundane while increasing delight, engagement and value.