The time it takes to make a jump (traversal time) can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of the call-to-action. Three traversal time factors have been identified (Dena, 2007):

  • Pacing: The pacing is the amount of time that elapses between calls-to-action. Pacing can affect the user at both the cognitive and affective levels. A rapid flow of calls-to-action has the potential to overwhelm the user (see information cascades for further information) and hinder both navigation and understanding of the transmedia narrative. However, skillfully handled pacing can generate feelings of excitement, relaxation, tension, and so on in the user. The transmedia narrative designer needs to consider how pacing will be used and whether the user will be give control over it.
  • Urgency: The urgency of a call-to-action can have one of three characteristics – a) requiring an instant action from the user, b) requiring action at a specific time, or c) requiring an action at any time. The greater the urgency, the more control the designer has over the narrative.
  • Duration: The duration of a jump is the amount of time it takes the user to jump from one platform to another (i.e. the difference in time it takes for a user to go from a comic to turning on a television versus going to a movie theater to see the same film). The longer the duration of a jump, the greater the possibility of losing the user.