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If Marshall McLuhan were alive and writing today, his dictum "the medium is the message" would reverberate with even greater resonance than when originally coined in the mid 1960s.
Today, the interactive "page-turner" is the media equivalent of the good old video "talking head." Television is best suited to highly visual subject matter. Moving images and moving cameras. Fast-paced editing and the interplay of picture and sound.
So, too, the CD-ROM and Internet are best suited to interactive engagement with the target audience. The "page-turner" is really nothing more than a print document transferred to the digital medium. So, in the next few columns, I'll offer practical suggestions on how to move beyond page turning and into a genuine interactive experience...
Rollover to Learn More: Rollovers are a good tool for disseminating information. Instead of the typical text screen or audio narration, this technique actively engages users in the process of discovery. Rollovers also require relatively minimal programming expertise. Here are some examples of how rollovers might be used in training programs.
Suppose you're writing an interactive program about a new drug for treating epilepsy. Part of the content involves teaching how electrical disturbances in different areas of the brain result in various seizure types. How about displaying a diagram of the human brain with rollovers. As the user rolls over specific parts of the brain, a window displays the type of seizure disorder associated with that area of the brain.
Or suppose you're introducing a new product with a variety of working parts or functions. Display a photograph of the product on the screen. When the user rolls over specific parts, a window displays text describing the part's function and/or features and benefits.
Rollovers encourage users to explore content on their own-creating a self-paced interactive experience.
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