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From There to Here – a Brief History of Interactive Video

Following Steve Russel’s (student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 1962 creation of the world’s first interactive video game, Spacewar!, the idea of being able to interact with videos became more feasible. In 1972, Phillips made that possible with the introduction of the first laser disk (LD) which allowed playback at selected chapters. Youtube introduced a similar feature in 2008, making it possible to annotate videos with links and other interactive options. This was removed in 2019, but Netfilix and Tiktok both announced support for interactive effects in, 2016 and 2021.

Interactive video production has been been around for quite some time. Maybe you’ve watched Bear Grylls’s You vs. Wild (2019) or you’ve read one of those ‘choose your own adventure’ books, like Choose Your Own Disaster by Dana Schwartz. Viewers, readers, or both, are actively involved in progressing the plot. Or so it seems. Whatever the medium, anything interactive is always a win. Why? Mainly because it feels as if the content is personalized for each viewer or reader. See here an initial screening of Weber’s Late Shift at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival. Voting with their phones, audiences feel there’s an added layer of participation to an otherwise typically passive experience.

With videos today being most watched on phones on the fly (source) rather than sitting at computer screens with mice or trackpads, the proliferation of interactive features in videos reached an obstacle. Some platforms had not yet developed a mobile version, and it seemed the people watching videos on phones were not in a position, or willing, to interact with them.

Enter social media. With interactive features on social media stories introduced in the early 2020s, these platforms suddenly became the perfect environment for marketers and video producers. The element of impracticality remained with the small size of the screens and the nature of a hand-held phone video. That meant the interactivity had to be optional and not affect the length of the content. In other words, the video had to skip at some point if it didn’t illicit interaction, instead of sitting and waiting for it.

The Very Latest in Interactive Video

According to the Firework Blog, 43% of consumers prefer interactive content, and 88% of marketers are increasing their investments in interactive video content. Almost half of the consumer pool is considerable. However, I question the sustainability of the public’s interest over time and wonder if it isn’t just a fad or trend reaching its peak.

An image of a hand pressed up against a LED screen for the Fullframe blogpost on interactive videos, image by dynamic wang on unsplash.

On one hand, the innovation of this form of content comes from the ability to involve oneself in something and have an impact on it in some way. I wonder if the novelty of interactive videos will wear off with the average consumer wanting immediacy, simplicity and familiarity. This would concern only interactive videos that are made to entertain.

On the other hand, interactivity and decision-making has, and will always have, a positive effect on people, boosting memory, engagement and cognitive functions. This is why when it comes to explainer videos, various types of corporate videos, medical videos and e-learning have benefited from the addition of an interactive dimension.

The Psychology Behind Interactive Videos

Interactivity turns anything into a sort of game. Who doesn’t enjoy a game? Members of the psychology community argue that “when playing games, we compete and excel on so many levels, feeling empowered.” (New Hope Psychology, 2022) In that case, interactive videos are something users will enjoy participating in, arguably more than passively watching a video.

Interactive videos contain a range of different calls-to-action that catch and attempt to retain the attention of the viewer. They can contain multiple-choice questions that lead to different scenarios, clickable hotspots and links that reveal secret information or lead to web pages, polls, quizzes and immersive 360-degree environments. Depending on the context, these features can add a whole new dimension to your video and generally raise its traction and visibility.

After watching a video, all you want is for your customers to remember key elements from the video. The hope is they go on to visit your website. The dream is that they buy your products and services. We’ve also established that interaction is a key element to learning and retaining information long term (source). Comparable to “learning by doing”, having any form physical action contribute to the seeing or hearing of new content engages the senses and guarantees a higher chance of long-term memorability (source). In terms of E-learning this is all central as watching a video can only do so much in comparison to in-person or in-class education.

an image of a man tying his shoe for the Fullframe blogpost on interactive videos , image by black jiracheep on unsplash.

A first and large factor in the appeal of these videos is the implication of the viewer in the content they’re ingesting. It also depends on if the viewing of the content is imposed or if the viewer has chosen to. An example I tend to use to explain this illusion of choice (source) is when a child refuses to perform simple tasks such as brushing their teeth or tie their shoes. A parent or guardian might ask “do you want to tie your shoe?” and the child’s contrarian spirit will decline. If asked “What do you want to do first, brush your teeth or tie your shoe?”, or “Do you want to tie the left one or the right one?”, they will be more inclined to do so because they are making a choice for themselves.

The aspect of having to perform the task isn’t primary anymore because they get to choose something, such as the flavor of the toothpaste or the color of the socks. When someone is given a smaller choice that doesn’t affect the result (the teeth will be clean and the laces tied), the chore doesn’t seem so bad anymore.

The same idea is applied to the viewing of a video and the possible actions taken from it. Now that people are less willing to watch videos or advertisements for their entire duration, condensing the product information into instantaneous buttons and interactive features makes a full-length watch unnecessary. Being able to access these specs themselves in their own time is more attractive to a modern-day viewer and potential customer.

When it comes to social media marketing, interactive videos and shoppable videos may soon be the norm.

These short, snappy videos not only establish customer trust and engagement through the aspect of novelty, but also improve product visualization and make the discovery of its different features much faster.

Streamlining the buying journey of a customer is crucial now that time is a currency and attention spans are limited.

People are more inclined to show interest in each product if they can discover its features by clicking a button rather than having to sit through a 15-second video with a voice-over listing its new features. This is especially true for those who either skip advertisements the second it’s possible, or simply mute them out of irritation.

Interactive Video Production for Entertainment

Many aspects of an interactive video can be interesting and motivate viewers to watch and actively engage. Multiple choice questions that impact storylines over time are nothing new to the world of gaming. Some third-person games such as The Last of Us and Life is Strange include this sort of interaction, letting the player decide the fate of their characters and ultimately, the ending of the game. Other storytelling games, such as Episode or even Red Dead Redemption 2, tell stories, whether it includes video or not, through character animations or cutscenes, all of which the player has control over. Interactive videos are an attempt to mesh passive watching with active gameplay, adding a recreational aspect to it.

This middle-ground makes for a fun, new way to include yourself in content, such as Bear Gryll’s You VS. Wild or Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Though the viewer’s perspective differs, the goal of survival has high stakes, making it even more interesting for the viewer.

I can only speak for myself, but I didn’t have it in me to go in for a fourth or fifth try for the following reasons: it got repetitive, it was too long, and frankly I was bored. This may be a generational thing, as we’ve observed a general decline in the attention span of the young. It may also be that this mix of passive and active entertainment isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and could be quite polarizing.

The strong point of interactivity in videos made for entertainment is the element of surprise. There also needs to be motivation. Physically engaging in content is, for the most part, only interesting when you’re getting something out of it. In the case of interactive videos aimed at entertaining the audience, that needs to be felt through mystery, excitement and the possibility of trying out all the different options available.

At least in my case, and many others I assume, one or two runs is enough before boredom sets in. When it comes to storytelling and different endings, I won’t want to restart the entire story (assuming there isn’t a skip button) to see another one.

When people watch a movie, they enjoy being able to sit for a few hours, suspend reality and dive into a complete story. Having the story be paused to ask a question is sometimes distracting and takes the viewer out of the suspension of disbelief. Suddenly, they’re pulled back into real life and aware that what they’re watching is supposed to entertain them. I also assume many people who struggle with making decisions would just like to be able to see every outcome in a movie that is produced in such a way that makes it possible, such as The Butterfly Effect (2004).

Whilst interactive storytelling videos can be exciting and push someone to watch and rewatch to see every possible outcome, the novelty wears off because it is its main (and only?) quality. That said, “playing” these videos with a group can be fun and sometimes hilarious depending on their nature. My two cents is that I’d rather sit down and watch something from start to finish or play a game and be fully in active gamer-mode. The in-between can be jarring and sometimes inconvenient when the goal is to relax and be thoughtlessly entertained.

Interactive Video Production for E-Learning and Teaching

Like many forms of teaching techniques aimed at younger students, interactive videos encourage active listening and therefore better information retention. During and after the pandemic, many students were faced with at-home and e-learning. New recruits needing training at companies as well as visitors of museums, company headquarters and clients searching for information all benefit from interactive instructional or demo videos.

Educational content hugely gains from interactivity. Studies have shown that interactive learning is beneficial to educational systems. Jonathan Savage (2015), reveals a study “found that the participants learned almost 5 times as much material, compared to traditional learning methods.” This is closely linked with the idea that you can improve knowledge retention through interactive videos. Whether installations in museums offer detailed descriptions of displays, interactive maps, diagrams, infographics or simply explainer videos divided into sections the viewer can pick and choose from, interaction breeds curiosity.

It turns reading an encyclopedia or other lengthy text into a game that one may feel is fun and exciting. This goes for any age group, as I’m sure many new recruits at a job in any sector would rather play a sort of get-to-know-the-company video with minigames, polls and more, rather than read a 15-page booklet. This is why corporate videos and introductory explainer videos have profited from interactivity.

In many ways, video surpasses text when it comes to the finding of information. In the same way 60% of people would rather watch a video rather than read any sort of text (source), people are turning to TikTok and other video-based platforms rather than your average search engine when needing to look something up (source). This goes to show how visual content paired with audio support performs better than static text (source) when it comes to low-effort and high-reward memorization.

Interactive Video Production for Marketing

Marketing is also a sector that benefits from interactive elements in videos, especially when it comes to calls-to-action and possibly making new clients. Past the novelty of being able to see something pop up on your screen when you touch it, there is the element of wanting a particular product or service.

In 2018, Yeezy hyped up the release of the Boost 350 by partnering with Adventr to make an interactive video campaign in which potential buyers could view a 360° image of the shoe and zoom in to see all the nitty gritty bits of what they’re buying. In addition, the marketers would track the user interactions with the video, giving them a valuable insight into the interests and concerns of their clientele.

Interactive advertising has also been on the rise and will most definitely continue to be so.
I think this is because, as everyone knows but marketers hate to admit, most video ads annoy people and tend to be skipped asap. They can sometimes feel impersonal, forced and sometimes even fake depending on the sector and style of ad. Adding interactivity to an otherwise passive watch that is often preceding what you actually want to watch, makes it more worthwhile.

Now that video ads are everywhere, including among social media stories and posts, they have to adapt to the average user experience and reflexes of tapping on the screen. Interactive story advertisements have been a solution for marketers to increase engagement as well as boost interest in their product and their reputation as cutting-edge.

Volkswagen partnered with Smartzer to create a video featuring buttons that reveal specs on the car when clicked on. This reduces the time spent communicating information and therefore makes the buying process faster, including the option to book a test drive.

Sharing product information this way has been a great technique for companies to shorten their advertisements without sacrificing content. Another example is Sony partnering with Spott to advertise their headphones. The viewer is more involved in the finding of information and is therefore more likely to show interest or remember it (the information as well as the experience).

Interactive video ads can do more than just pique interest, though. Nike paired up with Wirewax to promote their Air Max Dia shoes with a “customizable” video in which the viewer answers a stylist’s A or B questions to build their own outfit. This gives the potential buyer a good idea of how the outfits look and allow Nike to show off some of their other products.

A step further from this is shoppable videos, where clickable buttons offer the possibility to directly add the item to your cart. Many companies including IKEA and JBC have started implementing live shopping to showcase products in use and inspire customers.

In general, visual shopping has become a primary way of convincing customers not only about the product’s quality but also its accessibility. Shoppable stories on different social media platforms allow companies to include user-generated content (UGC) to promote their products, reinforcing their credibility and mostly their relatability. Being able to benefit from the notoriety of influencers and their loyal fanbases expands their reach and potentially their clientele.

Down the Line – What’s Just Around the Corner for Interactive Video

Interactive videos hold great potential for the world of education and marketing. I’m of the opinion that when it comes to entertainment, interactivity can become gimmicky and will eventually be a bit passé. Actual video games already do a great job of creating immersive worlds and experiences for the viewer, with some movie-like aspects through cutscenes of varying lengths and even virtual reality.

Many story-based games (that may or may not include video) follow the idea of letting the player/viewer make their own choices to affect the storyline, and they do it arguably better than interactive videos. Movies on the other hand, are at their strongest when the viewer is fully invested and aware of everything (preferably on a couch, immobile), though their gamification isn’t what will take them to the next level in the long term.

It seems the continued growth and development of social media marketing will greatly benefit from interactive video production as they go hand in hand. We are used to having our devices at the ready, mindlessly scrolling through posts or stories.
An interruption of our doomscrolling by an interactive advertisement that directly leads to a cart-add or a promotion code isn’t always welcome, but is widely preferable to a longer, un-skippable full-form video ad. If you pair that with the “comparing yourself to others” mindset that social media breeds, you’ve got the perfect combination for people to see how your product will improve their lifestyle.

As of now most interactive videos are considered interactive from the introduction of clickable links or buttons that trigger animations, text appearances or a jump to another part of the video. It is possible these videos will grow to become even more immersive, by adding a 360° panoramic element to them. This would further the element of surprise (finding objects around you in augmented reality, for example) and continue to gamify advertising, something beneficial for marketers who seek to create loyal consumers out of the younger generation. Artificial intelligence could also be a great solution to help people to pick out specific items of clothing or furniture from movies or tv shows and find them for sale.

Conclusion

As you can tell from this article, interactive video can be a much more engaging type of video production than classic static video. That doesn’t mean you should rule out other types of video production, but it’s only an encouraging factor to look beyond video formats like animation. Maybe there’s a more unique way to illustrate your concept through interactive video.

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