Introductory Chapter: Multimedia and Interaction

Interactive media are means of communication in which the output values depend on inputs. This means that the user is actively involved in the communication. The media still has the same purpose, but entries or inputs made by user create the interaction and some interesting options when it comes to the output of the system. Interactive media is referred to conceptual design of interaction, new media, interactivity, interaction between people and computers, graphical user interface, digital culture, interactive design, and virtual reality. One of the most important characteristics of interactivity is the interaction between user and machine, where each of them has an active role. Interactive multimedia allows the user to control, combine, and manipulate a variety of media types, such as text, computer graphics, audio and video materials, as well as animation. Interactive multimedia integrates computer, storage, data, phone, TV, and other information technologies. The most common interactive multimedia applications include education and training programs, video games, electronic encyclopedias, and travel guides. The user or participant in an interactive multimedia application changes their role—for the viewer becomes an active participant. It is expected that interactive multimedia systems become the next generation of electronic information systems. It should be mentioned that another name for interactive multimedia is hybrid technology, because it is able to combine the possibilities for storage capacities of computers and a digital database with an advanced tool for viewing and manipulating these materials. Nowadays, the fastest-changing area is dedicated to the development of teaching materials based on usage of computers, particularly interactive multimedia programs that run on personal computers. These new computer and information technologies offer students and teachers access to materials like never before. Through the storage capacity of the computer, multimedia can “deliver” enormous amounts of data to users in more useful and accessible ways [1, 2].