Interactive Web Design

The design of the web is improving rapidly. It is becoming easier and easier to come up with new ideas and solutions each year. It is therefore crucial that you learn about the features that each type of design offers as a designer. Incorporating interactive web design into websites is one of the more exciting ways to make them. A full digital experience is offered to the user, which enables them to connect on a more personal level. There are, however, two sides to every story. It is important to understand the pros and cons of interactive web design before you decide to apply this approach.

Strategies and technologies for web design

There are many technologies and strategies involved in developing a website. Human-centered design and UX-focused design are the two main approaches you can take when building websites or apps. It is always possible to create static and interactive versions of them, no matter what approach you decide to take.

With an interactive environment, you are actually engaging the user with the website instead of just allowing them to browse its content in a well-known pattern.

Benefits of Interactive Web Design

By using the static approach, you will be able to achieve many of the benefits of interactive web design. In contrast, they create a completely different experience for the user. Educational, business, and entertainment websites use interactive web design more often. This makes it a valuable source of information.

1) It engages customers

Your customers will be engaged and occupied with your website if it is interactive. Customers must do more than simply browse your website to engage with it, allowing for a higher level of communication. Additionally, you can ask customers for their feedback. Analyzing this data allows you to make necessary improvements based on the findings.

2) It is a more personal experience

A user's web experience takes on a whole new level when he or she is asked a few simple personal questions. You feel as though someone is actually on the other side communicating with you. In contrast to static websites, where you can just browse the content that is almost always the same, dynamic websites feature constantly changing content.

3) You can target your audience more effectively

You should consider your targeted audience when building a website. It is important to remember that not all clients have the same interests even if you shift your focus to a specific sector. The great thing about an interactive approach is that you can narrow the selection process even further and show clients only a narrow field of options.

4) Improvements in the gaming industry

Creating online games is another benefit of interactive web design. In addition to connecting with you, your customers can also connect with their friends.

5) You can learn a lot from it

It is excellent to learn from interactive websites. As a result, they help you focus and concentrate, thus increasing the quality of your learning experience. Especially for students in their early years, this is imperative. Digital technology facilitates kids' learning about communication through interactive websites.

6) The development of online shopping

90 percent of today's websites have an online shop. By providing more options to your customers, the interactive web design makes online shopping much easier.

7) Websites that are interactive can be easily updated

Your programmer must make the changes you wish to see if you have a static website. You can easily make updates yourself with interactive technology, even without any IT knowledge.

8) Multiple options are available

There are many opportunities available when you run a website on the server-client side and on the client-server side. Static websites usually lack a variety of options. It is possible to provide your customers with a better digital experience while also collecting their data by using databases.

Understanding Interactive Web Design

Even though interactive web design may look nice, you should only use it when it is truly necessary. Interactivity can be implemented in a variety of ways, including:

Polls
Quizzes
Surveys
Assessments

This is where its usability really shines.

Cons of interactive websites

I'm sure that interactive web design seems like a wonderful idea at this point. The following reasons, however, should make you reconsider this approach.

1) Flash is used

It is the most common technology used on interactive websites. Although flash may seem to offer a lot of options, it is gradually becoming obsolete. According to a study, flash technology is used on the web by over 80%. It was common on almost all websites about ten years ago. Today, however, it is used by less than 17% of the population.

Google Chrome no longer supports flash. In light of that, all interactive websites based on flash technology will cease to function. Therefore, you have to find a different approach.

2) The process is complicated and expensive

It's exciting to create interactive websites, but it takes more time and effort than people think. The most important thing is that it is expensive. Static websites can be built for under $100 today. Interactive web design may not be the best choice if you are on a tight budget.

3) Your reputation can be damaged by negative comments from users

It is important to note that providing users with the ability to interact and communicate with you through comments on your website can have both positive and negative effects. Those comments can certainly improve your website, but they can also harm your online reputation since they will be visible to everyone.

4) There can be glitches on interactive websites

The final product will look good once it has been finalized. There can, however, be a lot of bumps along the way. Users can make inputs on an interactive website, which can sometimes cause errors if not done correctly. It is possible for your website to have unforeseen issues due to the fact that there is no fixed number of pages.

5) Loading interactive websites takes longer

Static websites load much faster. In addition to always loading in the same amount of time, having a fixed number of pages is a great benefit. Since interactive websites contain a lot of animations, loading may take longer and your users may be frustrated.

6) Complexity increases during re-design

Re-designing or changing your website will be challenging on so many levels. The process might be exponentially difficult depending on what needs updating or removing. In addition, you will need someone with a lot of experience reading and analyzing complicated code in order to successfully update your website.

7) Mobile optimization

Mobile-friendly websites have become a standard today. It's easy to build static websites. All of the code can be written much more easily thanks to responsive design.

It is important, however, to consider the usability of interactive web designs. PC and mobile users will not see and use all options in the same way. The smaller size of mobile screens will necessitate removing or changing some options that require more space.

8) Protection

In static websites, communication takes place only between the server and the client, and no database connections are made. Interactive websites, on the other hand, are completely different. As a result, security might be compromised.

Furthermore, they communicate with databases by using a lot of queries. Using server-side programming languages like PHP, JSP, Asp.NET, etc., offers great versatility, but it also has drawbacks.

Are you looking for an interactive web design?

Consider whether you really need an interactive website design. Consider your users' experience as a digital one. It may seem amazing and offer many options, but it can also be a waste of time, money, and space if you do not need it.

If your website doesn't really deliver anything that a static website would provide, your users may get frustrated when interacting with it.

An Easy Guide to Interactive Web Design

When it comes to applying this approach, there are many ups and downs. As a programmer, I know the skills and knowledge needed to successfully implement interactive web designs. To sum it up:

Targeting the audience is easier
In addition to providing valuable feedback, interactive websites can also negatively impact your online reputation
The creation process is complicated and expensive, but users have more engaging options
In addition to improving the user experience, loading times and browsing will be longer
Programming on the server allows for more features, but also creates security risks
Online experiences no longer feature Flash technology

You should now have a better understanding of the pros and cons of interactive web design.

Got questions? Visit us @ www.sirkle.com and we’re happy to help.