Interactive design: The language of winning content

We at Genially are on a mission to help you master interactivity better than your native language, so that creating amazing interactive and animated content is easier than frying an egg. 

If your goal is to create disruptive designs that add value, capture the attention of your audience, and break the mold, you’re in the right place. In this post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about interactive design.

What is interactive design?

Interactive design is based on the dialogue iterated between a person and a piece of digital content. Although interaction can occur with almost any physical object, in the digital environment  we associate it with elements that are on our screen and that allow us to perform an action. It arises from the need to facilitate interaction between people and our increasingly complex world, whether that be physical or digital. 

To create an interactive design is to create an experience in which the interactive elements (e.g. buttons) allow communication to flow between the person and the content. 

With Genially, interactive elements can be in any format and are said to be like potatoes in that they go with everything. Images, graphs, icons, videos, audios… Enrich your design and make it as awesome as you want.

5 Principles of interactive design

• Make it legible. The content must be easy to understand. Try to avoid any element that could interfere with the communication experience between the person and your creation. Pay attention to the font size, the choice of icons, the layout of the elements, etc. 

• Make it easy to use. This is fun-da-mental! You can create the most beautiful content anyone’s ever seen, but if you don’t make it user friendly, it won’t work. Paying attention to content usability means knowing how people navigate content. Always carry out plenty of tests, and, wherever possible, get others to check it. The easier it is to use, the more people will be attracted to the content.

• Make it functional. In a nutshell, this is about meeting a need and making sure the content is useful and solves a problem for the people it’s aimed at. 

• Make it aesthetically pleasing. Interactive design seeks to make the product attractive. An attractive environment will always be more appealing. This will also add to legibility.

• Make it visible. Capturing attention is essential for making sure everyone enjoys your content. Let animation be your right hand in accomplishing this mission!

A user-friendly experience is essential

Navigation menus, animations, interactive elements… There are lots of elements that help you turn content into an experience. I’m sure you already know this, but in design, less is almost always more. 

If you’re creating interactive content and planning its design, your goal is to make it intuitive, easy to use, and fun. If people have a positive experience, they’ll want to come back for more!

3 tips for a good user experience

Want to create a stunning design and engage everyone with a user-friendly experience? Here’s how:

1. Eliminate cognitive load. If you put too many elements in your creation, you can overwhelm people and make it more difficult. A simple interface communicates better and facilitates the user experience.

2. Choose your words wisely. You need to understand who you are targeting and how to get your message across. Simplify: look for the shortest and most concise way to say things. Clarity first and foremost.

3. Appeal to emotions. An emotional design will enhance people’s experience of using your design. Since design must meet needs, if emotions are a need, you should design with that in mind. 

Interactive design with Genially

Without interactivity, there would be no Genially. With Genially, you don’t need any design or coding knowledge to create amazing interactive content. 

The tool is designed to allow you to do this super easily. You have total freedom to define how you want your audience to navigate your genially. And this freedom gives you all the power, as the way you configure the different interactions will influence the experience of those who interact with your designs. 

What do you want to happen when your audience clicks on an interactive element? To send them to another page? To play an audio? To have a meme appear? You can do whatever you want, and all without programming a single line of code. Don’t tell me you’re not impressed!

Find the inspiration to create memorable interactive designs

We know what you’re thinking: ‘That’s all well and good. But where am I going to find the time?’ What if I told you there was a shortcut? The thousands of Genially templates! They all include interactivity and animations. They’re interactive designs that you can use as a base or inspiration and customize as much as you want.

Check out these examples: 

Video games: the stars of interactive design!

We know you were waiting for Hogwarts Legacy with bated breath (we recognize a fellow Potterhead when we see one!), but did you know that part of the reason for its success, and that of all video games, is its interactivity? Without interaction, we can’t play. With Genially, you can create something very like a video game. 

Gamifying your creations is an excellent way to achieve your goals, whatever they may be. Check out these templates you can use to make an escape room or breakout that will motivate everyone to the max.

Microsites

You don’t need to program a single line of code to make something that looks just like a website with Genially. 

Now that you know what interactive design is and how you can use Genially to apply it to your content, it’s time to unleash your creativity and start creating unforgettable interactive experiences.

Also, I recommend checking out the Genially Academy if you want to learn the best tricks for creating interactive and dynamic content that will wow your audience. You’ll find everything you need to learn how to use Genially like a design professional. And if you don’t believe me, just take a look at these courses:

After this training you’ll understand the power of Interactive Visual Communication and you’ll be able to create incredible interactive and animated content in no time.

You don’t need coding skills to make interactive creations that have the look and feel of a website. With this micro-course you’ll learn how to create advanced animations without writing a single line of code. Promise.

We want your content to take you to the top!