Definition of Interactivity

In all fields related to interactivity, including information sciences, computing, human-machine interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement on the meaning of the term «interactivity,» even though they are all related to interactivity. interaction with computers and other machines with a user interface.

There are multiple views on interactivity. In the «contingency view» of interactivity, there are three levels:

– Non-interactive, when a message is not related to previous messages;
– Reactive, when a message is related only to an immediately preceding message; and
– Interactive, when a message is related to several previous messages and the relationship between them.

interactivity in computing

In devices, systems, and programs, interactivity refers to the interaction (dialog-like) between the machine and the user.

The interactivity of a device is independent of its visual appearance and its internal processes.

Meanwhile, interactivity in computing refers to programs that accept and respond to data inputs and commands from humans. Interactivity is closely related to the interface of a program.

More details on interactivity in computing

The term «look and feel» is often used to refer to specific features of the user interface of a computer system. Using this metaphor, the «look» refers to its visual design, while the «feel» refers to its interactivity. Indirectly, this can be seen as an informal definition of interactivity.

For a more detailed discussion of how interactivity has been conceptualized in the human-computer interaction literature, and how French philosopher Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology can shed light on user experience, see (Svanaes 2000).

In computing, interactive refers to software that accepts and responds to human input, such as data or commands. Interactive software includes popular programs such as word processors or spreadsheet applications. By comparison, non-interactive programs operate without human contact; examples of these include compilers and batch processing applications.

If the answer is complex enough, the system is said to be carrying out social interaction, and some systems try to achieve this through the implementation of social interfaces.

In addition, there is the notion of user interaction types, such as Rich UI.

Creating interactivity in computing

Web page authors can embed JavaScript code to create interactive web pages. Sliders, date pickers, drag and drop are just a few of the many enhancements that can be provided.

There are several authoring tools available to create various types of interactivities. Some common platforms for creating interactivities include Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight. Among the most important authoring tools for creating interactivities is Harbinger’s Elicitus.

eLearning uses a concept called the interaction model. Using an interaction model, anyone can create interactivities in a very short period of time. Some of the interaction models that are featured with the authoring tools fall under various categories like games, puzzles, simulation tools, presentation tools, etc., all of which can be fully customized.