create a Multiple choice questions (15 questions) from the following passages¨. Introduction
• Definition of interactive digital media:
o Computer-driven experience, often screen-based.
o Facilitates interaction between device and user.
o "You do something to the device, and the device does something back."
• Examples of interactive digital media applications:
o Websites.
o Stand-alone kiosks.
o Mobile apps.
o Video games.
o Computer/sensor-driven physical experiences in museums or public spaces.
• Characteristics:
o Developed with different programming languages.
o Run on different types of hardware.
o Serve diverse purposes.
o All facilitate a two-way conversation between user and system.
2. WHAT MAKES INTERACTIVE DIGITAL MEDIA DIFFERENT FROM OTHER
FORMS OF MEDIA?
• User Interaction:
o In interactive digital media, users interact with the media itself, unlike traditional
media where there's no response from the media.
o Examples of traditional media include viewing images, reading text, watching
videos, or listening to audio.
• Non-linear Experience:
o Unlike linear media like videos or texts with a clear beginning, middle, and end,
interactive digital media offers a non-linear experience.
o Users can engage with interactive media in various sequences and paths, making
each user's experience dynamic and unique.
o Though some linear portions exist, like in training applications or e-commerce
websites' checkout processes, overall, the experience is non-linear.
3. FORMS OF INTERACTIVE DIGITAL MEDIA
• Evolution of Interactive Digital Media:
o Advancements in hardware have led to new forms, uses, and modes of interaction,
impacting communication, shopping, learning, and entertainment.
• Traditional Stand-Alone Kiosks:
o Location-specific interactive touch screen experiences.2
o Provide instruction, improve productivity, facilitate communication, deliver
entertainment, or enable transactions.
o Among the earliest forms of interactive media.
o Examples: self-checkout kiosks in stores, airline check-in kiosks.
o Increasingly common in various settings due to productivity benefits.
o In museums, used to engage and inform visitors, sometimes facilitating
collaborative interactive experiences.
• Websites:
o Combination of interlinked web pages under the same domain name, accessed via
web browsers.
o Early websites were basic "brochure-ware" with static pages and interlinking text.
o Evolved with technology, bandwidth, and protocols.
o Late 1990s saw a boom in e-commerce sites, followed by blogs and social media
platforms.
o Modern websites are responsive, adapting layout and content based on the
accessing device.
o Responsive design presents challenges for web designers and developers.
• Mobile Applications:
o Distinct form of interactive digital media developed for smartphones, tablets, or
watches.
o Different from desktop and web applications, designed for specific tasks.
o Can be pre-installed or downloaded from app marketplaces.
o Inexpensive, easy to download, update, and remove.
o Continual innovation due to ease of development.
o Companies use apps to push notifications for business benefits.
o Not to be confused with mobile versions of websites.
• Video Games:
o Games run on computers, mobile devices, or specialized consoles.
o User interacts with the system using physical controllers, sensors, or touch screens.
o Early games like Pong (1972) were simple yet engaging.
o Arcade culture grew around early video games.
o Home consoles like Atari 2600 (1977) popularized gaming at home.
o Consoles evolved over generations to facilitate collaborative gameplay and
gesture-based interaction.
o Video games now available on various devices: computers, web browsers, tablets,
smartphones, and even watches.
o Wide variety of games available, from complex story-driven console games to
casual mobile games.
o Games used for entertainment, education, and training.
o Gaming industry is growing with diverse niches and opportunities.
• Physical Installations, Exhibits, and Performance:
o Museums offer unique interactive experiences to hold visitors' attention.3
o Exhibit designers aim for technological novelty and open-endedness.
o Interactive exhibits encourage innovative engagement and collaboration among
visitors.
o Examples include:
▪ Franklin Institute: Visitors use Oculus Rift to explore deep sea, outer space,
and human body.
▪ Smithsonian's "Skin and Bones" exhibit: Augmented reality app shows skin
and bone movements.
▪ David Small's "Hall of Ideas" at Mary Baker Eddy Library: Animated letters
form quotations based on audience interaction.
▪ Trokia Ranch's dance performances in Portland: Audience movements
choreograph part of the performance.
• Non-screen based interactive experiences:
o Relatively recent innovation in interactive digital media.
o Serve different purposes and used in various contexts.
o Facilitate communication between user and computer-based device without
traditional screens.
o Example: Amazon's Echo, which responds to voice commands to serve up media.
4. ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR THE INTERACTIVE DIGITAL MEDIA DEVELOPER
1. Knowledge of Media:
▪ Understanding of various forms of media: video, audio, animation, text,
graphics, illustrations.
▪ Ability to integrate media into interactive experiences.
▪ Awareness of best practices for each type of media.
2. User Experience Design (UX Design):
▪ Visual communication skills to ensure users understand and navigate the
application.
▪ Designing for interactive media requires different approaches than static
media.
▪ End users' needs and preferences guide design decisions.
3. Coding and/or Authoring:
▪ Ability to write code or use authoring applications to build interactivity.
▪ Familiarity with programming languages and authoring tools:
▪ Examples:
▪ Web development: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP.
▪ Apple app development: Swift.
▪ Game development: C# in Unity.
▪ Knowledge of authoring software like Adobe Dreamweaver for assembling
media, synchronizing content, designing user interfaces, and scripting
interactivity.4
4. Role-specific Skills:
▪ Skills required depend on the specific role in the development process.
▪ For example, a game artist might not need writing skills but should
understand interactive media and its authoring.
o Example:
▪ A video game designer with knowledge of media may adjust game design
based on the complexity of 3D art to fit budget constraints.
5.THE IMPACT OF INTERACTIVE DIGITAL MEDIA
• Impact of Interactive Digital Media:
o Pervasiveness:
▪ Interactive digital media is everywhere, impacting our daily lives
dramatically.
▪ Despite its ubiquity, many people are unaware of what interactive digital
media entails.
o Smartphones and Tablets:
▪ Smartphone ownership has skyrocketed, with 3 billion people owning and
using smartphones as of 2017.
▪ Originally designed for communication, smartphones now serve multiple
functions:
▪ Research tool.
▪ Entertainment device.
▪ Documentation assistant.
▪ Fitness motivator.
▪ GPS.
▪ Personal shopper, among others.
▪ Concerns about smartphone addiction leading to anxiety, depression, and
rumination.
o Social Media:
▪ Social media applications gained new significance with the proliferation of
smartphones.
▪ Accessible anytime, anywhere, they provide access to vast amounts of
content.
▪ Social media is not only for socializing but also for accessing news.
▪ Nearly half of social media users receive news from people they
follow.
▪ Ease of content sharing leads to the spread of both authentic and fake news.
▪ Traditional news media outlets struggle with readership and viewership due
to changing consumer behaviors.
▪ Misinformation spread through social media blamed for undermining the
2016 U.S. Presidential election.5
o Overall:
▪ Interactive digital media has profoundly changed how we communicate,
access information, and consume media.
▪ Its impact on society, both positive and negative, is significant and farreaching¨