MINIPROJECT ASSIGNMENT

ROBERT PRESS

I believe that the Netscape site is inherently too texty. To make the site more immersive, as discussed in class, requires I think 2 basic things. First, a more visual, i.e. graphic interface, and second, one that allows you to tour yourself through the site.

Currently the site is merely a list of links with a lot of text describing each one. It is very hard to read and one looses interest quickly. The site needs to provide more holes that one can follow. The site could then keep the unique info about the person given his site choosings and then respond with more tailored links. These links could be in the form of side movies or audio clips.

 

A possible opening scene could look like:

 

 

Each one of these quadrants would have its own unique identity and layout within the whole circle. This could include more than color (im a lousy drawer). But also images, movement, and sound (when overmoused, say). An individual click on one of these areas would begin a tour that would cover most of the traditional information now contained in the individual subcategories.

 

I think that once within the site, there would be the priority between the general tour and the specific needs of people visiting. That is, if I only came to Netscape to download communicator, I probably don't want to be forced to go on a long advertising tour. Thus within each subcategory should be escape routes that let you go to specific links. The majority of the screen, however, could be devoted to a tour of the topic. This tour should include much more movement (streaming video, say) and definitely sound. A good idea would also be to let the viewer "create" an example of the quadrant using Netscape-scripted tours. That is, in the community section, say, the tour could load the virtual office software and actally "put" you in an office with other people immediately waiting for your input. This makes the tour much more interactive and user specific. This strategy could be adapted in each of the three other quadrants: Commerce could demo you buying something; sofware could demo you using a trial interface and content could have you peruse the business journal. Within each quadrant, the movie/submovie metaphor would continue.

For example, a good "community" sub-page might appear like (again fabulous drawing skills):

In this case, you are immediately dumped into a movie that requires your immediate attention. You interact with the movie by "using" Netscape virtual office products so you can experience the product as you tour. When you finish the task of the first movie, the system could move you to another movie. It could also give you other choices, such as do you want product info, prices, etc. or do you want associated links.

There would be hard links in the scene, so you could escape to, say, download, if you really didn't want this office experience. Similarly, more than one movie could be running in the frame (or maybe just a stop-frame scene of it, so you could move between movies. Ideally, given your responses to an individual movie, the system would then change the secondary movie on the fly to something that suits you more.

I believe this sort of organization would naturally duplicate in the other quadrants. Thus, one would be moving through "events" in the Netscape domain (which happened to be primarily scripted) but still allowed for you to adapt.

I believe this schema increases immersion tremendously. Because we are looking at images and not text, there is much more information being provided. In addition, since the images are actually part of a larger story and can be manipulated by the visitor, the site takes on a much more interactive flavor. One can identify more with the view as, say an example officeworker. This makes the scene more of an extension of oneself rather than a mere information site. Finally, each movie has little task holes that need to be completed. Thus, the visitor is immersed in the completion of the task and does not quite realize that he is being simulataneously sold.