Principles & Steps in Interactive Narrative

In Pause & Effect, Meadows delineates three principles of interaction. Using his terminology, these include: Input/Output, Inside/Outside, and Open/Closed. Meadows' concept of Input/Output suggests that reader input should create interactive, narrative output and vice versa. Such actions should respond in a timely manner in order to demonstrate to the user that his or her action (or input) results in a demonstrable change. With the principle of Inside/Outside, Meadows argues that the interaction should produce a "dialogue" between the user's internal and external, experiential worlds. And finally, Meadows' concept of Open/Closed refers to the differences between open and closed systems. He advocates for open systems since they tend to give something back to the user as a function of their "indeterminacy." These three principles of interaction not only change the experience that the user has with the narrative or system, but also determines the quality of the experience. In order to determine whether or not these three principles are evident in any interactive experience, Meadows suggests that we ascertain whether the four steps of interaction are available to the user. These steps include observation ("the reader makes an assessment"); exploration ("the reader does something"); modification ("the reader changes the system"); and reciprocal change ("the system tries to change the reader") (pp. 44-45).

To the extent that it's possible, I am going to try to integrate all of these elements into my personal website design and do so in the following ways:

• Input/Output – This principle will be aided by a clear navigational structure and cues. Each page will include elements that will allow the reader to easily move to or return to any of the pages located in the main level of the website. Quick load times and the ability to skip the introductory Flash animation will also let users know that their input has a demonstrable and immediate effect. Main menu and submenu selections, when chosen, will result in an immediate movement to the respective page. I haven't decided whether or not to use rollover states on such menus, but this would be another option to let the user know that they are initiating a change. When the reader makes a menu selection that leads deeper into the website's content, he or she will have additional options to choose to view or listen to a variety of content.
• Inside/Outside – This principle will be created by using visual and navigational cues that are intuitive and which will thereby rely on the user's previous web experience to clue them into knowing what to do with the website. Because I want my site to demonstrate that I am a competent communication professional skilled in multiple mediums, the website itself will mimic these same skills and identity through the availability of various communicative texts offered via multiple mediums (text, multimedia, sound, and visuals).
• Open/Closed – While the website will be fairly closed off with little that the user can change within the content, there will be elements that allow the user to engage with me in a dialogue. My professional blog will include a comment feature to which I will respond regularly, and there will be a section for site visitors to leave feedback, which I will monitor and when appropriate incorporate their comments and suggestions. 
• Observation/Exploration – The first choice the reader will need to make will be with the opening animation and deciding whether or not to watch it through or to skip it. Once the decision has been made, the reader will need to determine what to do on the website's homepage. There will be nothing terribly unusual with this opening page because I don't want to create an initial impression that causes annoyance in the user due to uncertainty. Main menus will provide the initial navigational elements and thus the means for the user to observe, at a glance, the macro level content to be found in the website. This content will (hopefully) generate enough interest to convince the user to make a determination to move deeper into the site. Once inside the site, the reader will need to determine what content he or she is most interested in and then whether to spend time with that content. This could include playing a podcast, reading or responding to the blog, clicking to enlarge an image, or opening a text document to read. Rollover states on active links and buttons will also help in guiding this exploration.
• Modification – Modification will be primarily achieved through the reader's ability to choose from a number of menu and submenu selections. The order in which the reader navigates the site can be changed by the reader but most of the content will be fixed due to my need to control the professional image I am trying to create. The user will have the ability at any point to choose to remain on the site and continue additional modification (selection) or exit the site.
• Reciprocal Change – If I consider the ways in which my website can change the reader, I come to the conclusion that the best way that I can create reciprocal change is to create web content that encourages the user to return to the website multiple times over a period of time. In this manner, I am influencing the reader and convincing him or her to invest a greater amount of time in my site. Regularly updated and new content that is intriguing and appropriately targeted to my audience should encourage the reader to return. Including relevant links to other related sites would also result in a level of change.

For the group this week, my question is what concepts are you working on for your podcast and will it be integrated into one of your websites? If so, how?