The purpose of an interactive media is to make the user feel more engaged, like Black mirror, bandersnacth.
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Mobile apps are another good example of interactive media, apps are used in our daily life, the provide entertainment and education.
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VR, virtual reality is a good example of interactive media because it heavily relies on the audience to move around and explore their surroundings, for example Grand Trismo VR, simulating driving experience.
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Video games are a great example for interactive media, this is because it highly relies on the audience to decide what they want to do, for example in the game “Life is Strange” you are required to choose 4 options during dialog and it affects your outcome, this is a story based game. "Tekken 7" and Street fighter third strike is a fighting game which requires you to know the combos. "Diabalo" and "League of Legends" are both hack and slash games which means it’s a table top role playing game.
User experience designer, also known as UX designer, they're required to develop a wireframe (a wireframe is a visual presentation which shows the users interface which doesn't include the design or branding elements, photograph on the right). They're also required to collaborate with other designers and creators to create an automatic and user friendly software.
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To become a UX designer, you'll need to be able to have a strong portfolio of design projects, have a problem solving attitude, great communication skills and knowledge with softwear such as UXPin and Balsamiq. You'll also need an undergraduate degree in Computer science or Engineering.
Wix websites are effective when it comes to interactivity, this is becasue they supply the different buttons and animations, they even include tutorials on the more complicated aspects. However they could have more enhanced animations, as some of their animations look as if they're from powerpoint.
A website I found was animalmusic, they've included a lot of interactive aspects such as including a lightbox with videos and they have included a lot of buttons which all leads to different videos explaining a large range of artists and musicians. I don't think they need to improve this as the website is nicely laid out and it's straight forward whilst still looking modern and simplistic.
Google Tilt Brush is very effective because it allows the user to create an amazing master piece. The tools available allows you to paint and draw. This may sound limiting, however it comes with spray paint, different brush types and it includes every colour as it's got a colour wheel. There is also a tool that allows you to mirror what you're making, this means that you can creating something with a perfect mirror line. They also have animated brushes, so you can create flames easily whilst being animated. This is a great softwear, however they should add the tool of sculpting as the users could easily create creatures that they want in a film or game.
Another website I found is Sonja van Dulmen, she has included an animation from when you open her page, this is effective because it already starts off in an interesting view. Her home page is still apart from the eyes of the model, this is effective because it's simple and it drags you into looking into her website even more, however it is very distracting. Her layout on her work is very simple and easy to read which is great because it helps the audience focus more on her work rather than getting distracted by different animations.
26.11.2019
Today we explored on how make our wix have an interactive aspect, we created instagram accounts based on our media course and learnt how to put them as a feed on our wix, I also added some of the youtube videos I have created in the past to make it more personalised. We then added anchors, an anchor is something that could lead the viewer to a specific section of the site. I have an anchor for my instagram feed and youtube videos. The anchors help because if the page is really packed, it helps lead the viewer to the specific section they're looking for. I found it difficult to connect my anchors with a themed menu, so to over come this problem I decided to use a button instead, this worked well because it smoothly works and it was simple to use. I then researched about being a UX designer, and I learnt that they create wireframes which is basically the visual representation of the users interface. I also researched why interactive media is commonly used and I researched why it is so effective.
Why are we researching Virtual Reality?
Virtual reality is a three-dimensional image which can be interacted with, VR makes the user feel as if they're really there. We're researching virtual reality as it has such a big impact on the media industry. It's most popular with the gaming industry, this is because they've got a whole range of games which all have a different interesting and fascinating games, they've taken in reality and created something that can explore a whole new universe. VR is also popular in education, especially science. This is because they can conduct different experiments without the risks happening in the class.
What is augmented reality?
AR is used in games like Pokemon go and sims freeplay. In Pokemon go, they heavily rely on the user to walk around to different locations and collect the different Pokemon. In sims freeplay, there is an option to create a house using AR, there is no limitations, however whatever you create only stays on AR, it doesn't go over for your normal game. AR has also recently came out on the long time popular game, minecraft. This is a similar concept to the sims freeplay AR, however for this one, you place blocks.
This is an app called night sky, it allows the user to see what stars, constellations, planets, dwarf planets, satellites, comets, deep space and meteor showers are currently in space. You can rotate using your fingers, or you can move your phone around to see what's around. You can also filter what you see, for example if I wanted to just look at constellations. I would swipe up on the screen and then just click on constellations and it should just show that. This app is good as it allows the user to see what certain stars are out and where they are.
Beat Saber
This is a rhythmic game developed by Beat games. The player is given red and blue light sabers, they are then required to slice the musical blocks.
Until Dawn
This is a horror game only limited to PS4, you can play this with or without VR. It is based on teenagers who have to survive on 'Blockwood mountain'. This game has a 'Saw' element.
Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality
This is a weird, funny game. This is similar to job simular, however this feels as if you're part of an episode.
Resident Evil 7
This is another horro game, you have a choice of playing it on console or VR. However it is rated 'too scary as the horror is all around you. You literally can't look away.
Virtual Reality is good as it can easily allow the user to explore another dimension (which can be realistic or animated) whilst in a safe environment. Another good thing about VR is that it is suitable for any type of entertainment, social and educational purposes. There are lot's of games which I've listed above. However there are social aspects like VR Chat, this is an app which people create their own characters and they're put in a chat room and are able to communicate with others. VR can be used for education because they have apps like Discovery VR, this is an app where it takes you to different places of the world and even space. VR is also good for saving money - even though it's quite expensive to begin with, it's money efficient in the long time.
However, Virtual Reality has it's negative sides like how it can stop human connections. This means that the user is replacing reality with VR, this is bad because it could affect their mental health quite badly, when the user leaves the VR they're taken back into reality and they may have withdrawal from the alternate reality they explored. VR could also badly affect health because of the 18+ games like resident evil.
What interactivity did this website have and Why did they use these elements?
This website included a lot of interactive elements, such as the buttons and the quiz. I think these aspects added personality to Gee's website and I think the range of animations, galleries and videos make this website more personal as it has her youtube videos and her instagram. Gee used these interactive elements as it made the website more unique and she wanted to aim for a higher grade so she used more complex elements like the quiz. She's also added a list of the top 4 most played games which is good because if someone who is interested in buying a VR headset, Gee's website educates them on the pros and cons and gives them a small information on the most played games.
How could you use these or similar techniques yourself?
I want to add a quiz on my wix and I also want to videos, because I could use a video for explaining instead of having lots of written stuff.
Reflection 3/12/19
Today I added transparent videos which is located at the top of this page. I added these by accident as I wanted to add more interactive icons on my page. However I put one on my page and it added a cool element as transparent videos are constantly looping which means the user wouldn't have to repeat it, it's basically a GIF. I also created a quiz which is relevant to interactive websites, this quiz was a good idea as it makes it more interesting and fun. I also spoke about AR games, this was interesting as I played games like this before however I never knew what it was called and why it was created.
Final evaluation
This mini project went really well as I aimed to get the most I can from it. I like the elements where it allows the user to interact with it, like the buttons which leads to different sections of the page and the quiz, I also like how the transparent videos add a cool aesthetic . However, I think I could improve this website even more by adding more job roles and having that as a whole section on this page. I could also add more buttons with anchors to create a more neater layout.
I kind of effectively added interactive elements on website as I have my instagram feed on this page and I have buttons from my stage one. I don't know what else to add onto my website as I plan on adding the interactive elements as I go through my work. I like the layout of my past projects on wix and by adding interactive elements it'll distract from the work I want to present. By making my wix cross platform that enables mobile users and console users to access my website through their devices. This is good as it means that my website can be seen by a larger group of audience. I have been influenced by researching about VR and AR because of our modern culture, we are advancing very quickly in technology and by researching about it, it helps educate myself and others on basic facts like what are the positives and negatives of using these things. I have also come across VR and AR in my everyday life, for example in Churchil Square, Brighton there is a shop where they allow customers play on different types of VR, like Grand Trismo has it's pedal shifts, headset and racing seat, there is also a zombie shooting game which has gatling gun and head sets. My research on wix websites helped me see the full potential i could have for my own website, this is good because it will encourage me to make my wix the best it can be. Also my research for AR games will help encourage me and others to download apps like that onto our phones and explore the surroundings in a different manner.