Entertain With Design

Traditional methods of entertainment have always been one-way communication between writer/reader, singer/listener or actor/audience for a long time. The Internet however, is two-way communication and provides the fastest means of feedback.

Everyone still enjoys listening to music or watching a movie but channels like online gambling and creative user interfaces have created a large open playing field for all types of new entertainment.

The possibilities of user-generated content and the ability to fulfil the needs and sense of touching, changing, creating, improving or destroying content has never been greater.

So How Do You Entertain?

Well focus on the idea and try it on yourself first. If you don't think it's fun, face up to the fact that it probably isn't. Move on and explore new ideas or even set up focus groups to generate new ideas. The most important factor though is let the user interact, create something, change something or at least touch or press something. A simple play bar is better than a self-playing movie not only that how annoying is it when you visit a site regularly and music or video starts blaring away at you. But most importantly make it easy for the user to give feedback. Feedback will only make your application or game that much better.

What Not To Do?

Never underestimate the user. They want to have fun and they will learn how to use your navigation. But most of all always believe your site needs a story. If you're not a storyteller or comedian, make sure you do something else with your site. Create that one defining feature that makes your site stand out from the rest whether that be allowing the user to generate there own content or creating a unique viral game. The ideas are endless...

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