The Web Is Your Interactive Stage. Use it Well.
Do you think actors play all types of roles equally well? Are they all perfectly capable to use their talents on stage, film and TV? In comedies and dramas? In art and commercial productions?
There are many facets of acting that are universal regardless of the medium but there are also tremendous differences that must be acknowledged and appreciated. The same is true when one designs for print or for an interactive medium like the web.
Think about the actor who performs on a physical stage: it’s 3-D so the actor can move upstage, downstage, stage left and stage right. She is physically separate from the audience so attention to audio is needed. And that separation can be quite a distance (to the last row of the balcony) or not very distant (have you ever seen how some actors sweat?) so the audio/visual/set design must work equally well for everyone in the audience.
Take that same actor and put her in the movies. Early in the evolution of film, actors were serious, spoke very loudly and had a tendency to overact. Soon, they realized the differences between the two media and adapted their acting styles accordingly. Neither style is better or worse than the other, just different.
Some print designers believe that if they know HTML or Dreamweaver, they can design websites. In reality, designers need to embrace a completely new paradigm when designing for the web. For example:
- Print is two-dimensional – and the designer spends most of her time on the layout. Interactivity is multi-dimensional and often users begin scrolling or clicking before they have a chance to see the whole ‘canvas’. Layout is less important; good navigation is essential.
- In print, the equivalent of navigation is turning the page. Online, good navigation is more than a design element. It must convince the user to open the door to the equivalent of your store.
- Print is a visual medium; interactivity relies on the sense of touch- it’s kinesthetic.
- When holding a book you know how many pages are in it. You can stop at any time without getting lost. Navigating through complex website architecture can be confusing and good designers never want users to get lost. Since one can’t see the whole site while navigating, breadcrumbs, clear navigation and easy-toread buttons are critical.
- Color and text treatment for the web require completely different understanding than print. The use of too many colors or graphic elements equals visual noise. Knowledge of common fonts is crucial for browser compatibility.
Choosing the right actor is extremely important when creating a successful theatre experience. Online, clients need to make sure interactive designers know how to design for the medium. Print designers may have to change their design strategy to embrace all facets of this medium. Once they do that, some designers will cultivate a predilection for an enhanced online user experience and they will become great interactive designers.
Sandy Cahill is the Creative Director for OakTree Digital and has more than20 years of marketing experience. Her background includes strategic and tactical marketing in publishing, radio, ad agencies, a national cellular company, and other hi tech early stage companies.
OakTree Digital merges great creative with smart technology to deliver outstanding branding experiences. Since 1994, we’ve been helping marketing managers, business professionals, entrepreneurs and technology experts with our comprehensive line of marketing services.