ABSTRACT
This chapter defines important terms and explains the key concepts relating to interactivity, including: Interactivity versus control, Thinking interactively, Linking, High-level design and Interactive devices. “Interactive media” has traditionally been a much broader term than “multimedia.” “Interactive media” is used to describe all media with interactivity. The chapter uses “interactive media” to refer to all types of computer-delivered media with interactivity, including multimedia, such as computer games, and simpler interactive media, such as pictures-and-text web sites. The key difference between writing for linear media, such as television and movies, and writing for interactive media is interactivity, which allows the user of the program to have control over the flow of the information or story material. Interactivity means that the user can control the presentation of information or story material on the computer. The complexity that interactivity and linking add to a multimedia project demands strong high-level design and/or information architecture for the program to be coherent and effective.
