Interactivity is an exciting way to experience video. Qbrick has been a huge believer in the interactive video medium since as far back as 2007 (since before it was cool, you might say).
Why 2007? Well, as mentioned in this old article, Qbrick entered into a partnership with Adobe Systems in Sweden at that time to be able to offer interactive video to Nordic customers using Flash Player.
In 2007!
Now, 14 years later, Qbrick is still one of the few platforms offering the possibility to create interactive video. Although, today, using more modern building blocks.
Seeing as Flash Player was discontinued in December of 2020, and hereby entered into the Internet Hall of Fame (not literally), html5 has stepped up to the plate and become the new main option for anyone interested in similar interactive content.
Hey, remember "Salad fingers"?
In the early 2000s we had a lot of iconic Flash animations come out. One of these Flash animation series was "Salad Fingers" (2004), about a green, hunchbacked humanoid who keeps finger puppets as company. Anyway...
Interactive video lives on
Interactivity in videos is gaining momentum in e-commerce and video marketing.
You could argue that interactive entertainment (film/tv) was what finally pushed interactive media into the “cool” category. A perfect example of this would be when the team behind the Netflix series “Black mirror” made an interactive film called “Bandersnatch”.
Bandersnatch viewers could make decisions for the main character throughout different events in the storyline. For example: what they should answer or say to other characters, what music should be playing in the background and even what breakfast cereal they should choose to eat (a difficult decision for sure).
An interactive choice from the film “Bandersnatch” (2018)
What is an interactive video?
An interactive video gives the viewer options to make. This can be visualized in different ways and used for all kinds of purposes.
Maybe you want your viewers to select a “chapter” or “category” in your video. In essence, what those choices do is to take your viewer from one time in the video to another. This could be visualized using buttons that describe what that part of the video is about. For example: “Jeans”, “Shirts” or “Dresses”.
Maybe you want your viewers to be able to add products shown in the video to a “cart” shown in the video. This could be visualized by showing images of those products, and when the viewer clicks on the images, they are added to a list within the video (which can be connected to your brand store cart).
The sky’s the limit.
Present interactive product images that viewers can add to an in-video “cart”
What are the benefits of interactivity?
Interactivity can turn a bland and boring video into a fun ride. By simply giving your viewers the option to decide what happens, and in turn collaborate with the content, you’re giving them more reasons to stay and see what happens.
You could also be saving them time and effort!
Imagine seeing a one-hour long tutorial, and you just want to see a specific part of that video. Instead of scrolling back and forth through the timeline of the video, wouldn’t you prefer being able to click on a button and instantly see the part you wanted to see?
Give this option to your viewers and they will be grateful.
Qbrick Interactive Manager
We are proud of our Interactive Manager, and we’re working hard to improve it by adding new features and perfecting and simplifying the UI.
What is it? It’s our user-centric editor, made for businesses who want to create their own interactive videos, without breaking the bank or spending months or years to get it done.
Our goal for the Interactive Manager was to build something that anyone could use, no matter their level of expertise (in tech or video production).
You create interactive videos by adding ready-made button elements or custom images (uploaded from your computer). Learn more here.
If your organization already has access to the Interactive Manager, use it by logging in to your Qbrick Video Platform account, clicking on a video in your library and going to the “Interactive Manager” tab.
Don’t have an account, or interested in adding the Interactive Manager to your account? Request a personal demo here, or contact your local representative here.
Conclusion
Interactive video may not be a brand new phenomenon (just ask us), but it is just recently starting to rise in popularity. We couldn’t be happier about this, because we firmly believe that it is one of the key components that make video the front runner in current and future online communication.
Try out some interactive videos made in the Qbrick Interactive Manager:
