C H A N N E L   D E S I G N

My first hands-on experience with dhtml was the design and production of the Travelocity channel for Sabre, Interactive. Given the opportunity to choreograph elements, I found that movement, or "interaction design" became a serious new component of the channel concept development. Now, in addition to information architecture, consistent and symbiotic color palette, type choices for images, photographic treatments, and the like, I had new pieces to fit into the puzzle: how do I introduce these elements? How do I bring them on screen, how do I travel between areas on the site? The channel screen became a kind of synthetic stage, in which I could choreograph the entrance of a splash graphic, and usher off the main screen once the user had selected an item of second-level content. The web screen is beginning to emulate the qualities of the other, more evolved media, like "video", or even mere multimedia cd rom functionality. Bout time. So now we have these capabilities, new forms. But without function, without clear, explicit, useful implementation, these new capabilities quickly become cliche splash tactics or gratuitous animations and actions that detract from the user experience. When designing a channel, there are four main objectives that I want to achieve with the capabilities of DHTML: clean interface design, flexible navigation devices, seamless integration of live push content, and a dynamic, kinematic sense of movement within the content.

-> I N T E R F A C E   D E S I G N

1   back then	2   channel design	3   interface	4   live content
	5   kinematics	6   bit budget	7   samples	8   conclusion