Why an Interactive Website Design is Important
Interactive web design is a fairly modern phenomenon. As it is no longer "experimental technology", it is being applied in a growing set of fields, including marketing. Consumers today are looking for marketing content that goes above and beyond traditional advertising. They want to engage with content and advertisements rather than simply read or watch it.
That is where graphic web designs with interactive elements come into play. Rather than use traditional sites with static pages, you will need something more dynamic to draw in potential customers. Unfortunately, many people are not familiar with the technologies that are required to do so. We'll explain why it is important to have interactive elements on your pages, how they get implemented, and how you can get started with your own interactive site!
How Do Interactive Web Pages Lead to Success?
Whether it's by live chat-bots powered by artificial intelligence (AI) or entertaining games, interactive websites may generate more leads than those that do not use any technologies. Essentially, people are now used to minimal wait times to receive information about products, and as attention spans are getting shorter, marketing efforts must adjust.
eCommerce sites should include, at a minimum, a live chat-bot, real user reviews, user experience surveys, and interactive photos or animations. These elements will make users far more likely to stay on your site, thus making it more likely that they will make purchases.
The Three Sources of Interactive Elements
To break it down a bit more, there are three elements to take into account in the web design phase to ensure that your website will be interactive. They are images, sound, and video.
Although these are not the only elements in desirable websites, they are the core fundamentals of interactive web design. So, why are these elements important?
Pictures are a great way to break up what is referred to as "text walls". Pictures are also great for manipulating and interacting with. Sound, if used correctly, can also enhance the user's experience. Sound can make for a more interesting and unique experience, as well as keep the user on the site for a longer time than they otherwise would have. Video is another great way to keep users on your page longer. Rather than having just text, videos let users learn and watch at their leisure.
If you still aren't convinced that producing or hosting videos on your site is worth it, there's a simple fact that may change your mind. ‘Your site is 53 times more likely to show up on Google if you use videos!‘ (Animaker, 2015). That is because users tend to spend more time on your site watching the videos than they would if it just had text and images!
Graphic Web Design Tools for Interactive User Experience (UX)
You may be wondering how exactly are you able to make your website one that will keep users engaged and interested. There are various approaches to this problem, and we will take a look at some of the ones utilized by the best interactive websites.
First, "cinematic websites" are one of the more common ones. These are sites that feel like interactive movies. They tend to be very entertaining and expensive to produce. However, the user experience with these is typically excellent. These also usually have a fancy "backdrop", or picture in the background that remains still as the user scrolls through content.
Another approach could be best described as "compressed design". This is best for sites that have collections of items for viewing or for sale. You can display a wealth of items, and then have the user scroll or pan within the element that shows them. Without having to click onto new pages, the user can see more information about each item you have by taking an action, such as hovering or clicking once. For example, for a movie website, you could have a collection of “scroll-able” posters, and when the user hovers over a poster, they will be presented with the rating and plot of the movie!
The last approach is the creation of your own, unique "brand experience". This usually takes some creative artwork, but you can give your site its own unique appearance and use only your brand's colors on the site, perhaps use other innovative features such as tabbing, and create an experience users will remember. As a bonus, they will likely stay on your site for a longer time!
There are infinite benefits to making your website more interactive. You will get more visitors as it will be ranked higher on popular search engines, visitors will stay longer, and they are more likely to buy the products you sell online. If your site doesn't have a "modern look and feel" to it and has no animations, chances are that you're missing out on some potential business!
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