The connector makes it possible for the user to take the action needed to fulfill the task decision. The design of the connector should focus on the cognitive affordances needed by the user to make the cognitive links between story elements (including developing the user’s cognitive map) and the physicalContinue Reading
The purpose of the motivator is to facilitate the user’s development of a task decision. The cognitive affordances of the motivator are particularly important to the motivator’s effectiveness. The purpose of the motivator is to give the user a reason to interact with the narrative. This can be done byContinue Reading
The primary purpose of the attractor is to draw the user’s attention to the call of action. The environment around the user of a transmedia narrative, both on and off screen, is full of information competing for the user’s attention. The attractor needs to be able to cut through theContinue Reading
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 theContinue Reading
The story elements and media on both sides of a jump should be described early in the process of designing a call-to-action. The designer needs to consider how the call-to-action moves the user from one medium to another. Dena describes a number of factors related to the story and mediaContinue Reading
A user journey diagram and its accompanying notes show how a user might move through a transmedia narrative. Time is mapped on the horizontal axis and the media channel or platform is on the vertical axis. The diagram provides a clear picture of the dependencies and bridges between each componentContinue Reading
Over the past few weeks we have been looking at the first (transmedia project) and second (storyworld) level design tasks. Once work at these levels is substantially complete, it is time to move on to the next level of tasks. The third level of design tasks occurs at the storyContinue Reading
At the storyworld level the user can make a number of jumps that need to be considered because of their potential impact on the design of the call-to-action. A number of possible combinations of jumps at this level have been identified by Dena (Dena, 2007). The descriptions of these jumpsContinue Reading
Wireframes allow designers to create the structural elements of the transmedia narrative project’s interfaces. A wireframe typically lays out the position and function of major components on web pages, applications, game scenes, and printed materials. A wireframe is an early planning document and will often be the basis for moreContinue Reading
Just as the narrative design needs to ensure users are provided with the information needed to “hook” them on the story, the interaction design must ensure that the first call-to-action a user encounters provides the appropriate amount of information to enable an effective interaction with the transmedia narrative. The entryContinue Reading