Existing interactive products & delivery platforms

Spotify is an audio streaming service founded in 2006. With over 406 million monthly users, including 180 million paying subscribers, it is one of the largest music streaming service as of December 2021. Whilst it is free to make an account and use the service, to access the array of features, a subscription is required.

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Interactive features and controls

One of the main ways Spotify is interactive is because users can listen to exactly what they want, contrasting to radio stations where you need to listen to what is playing. By clicking the search button at the bottom of the app, user's are taken to the search menu. With options to click the genre they are looking for, they can also search the name of the Artist or song they would like to listen to, and can do so by simply tapping it.

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Users can also add songs to playlists of their choice. They can collate their favourite songs or artists into one playlist, and listen to it back randomly or in order. This form of interaction allows users to to listen exactly what they want, and they do not have to keep searching for the next song they want to listen to as it is already on their playlist, along with other music they have selected.

Purposes

One of the purposes of the Spotify app is for entertainment. With access to a wide range of music, or other audible entertainment forms, Spotify's many options give an individualised entertaining experience for anyone. As for music, songs and artists are sorted by genres and charts. This allows for individuals to search for the genre or artist that appeals to them directly, and listen to what they want. For example, if someone is having a bad day and needs cheering up, Spotify can act as a form of escapism, as they can listen to the music that appeals to them, and forget about their problems.

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Another purpose of Spotify is for social networking and communication. One way this can be done is through Spotify group sessions. By sending a link to friends via a URL, or direct to social media applications. Friends can listen to the same song simultaneously, and either party can change the song to what they like. This allows for people to connect and build relationships via the app based on the same taste in music. Another way Spotify allows for social networking is how fans can interact with artists. This is because music artists have their own public profile (where you can find their music) and can follow them. This means you will be notified on the app when new music from them gets released.

Another purpose of the Spotify app is promotion. If users do not pay for Spotify Premium, adverts will play every so often between songs. As well as audio speech about a product that is being advertised, the app provides a clickable, interactive image overlay. This means users can click it to be taken to the product being advertised. They are unskippable for non-premium users. Adverts are believed to be personalised on Spotify - for example, adverts for an older demographic of 60+ may include holiday booking agencies, whereas a teenage demographic may have ads about driving lessons or online shopping sites.

Formats and Platforms

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One way Spotify is accessed is through the app. This is for desktops, smart phones, and tablets. This is beneficial as it means users can listen to Spotify on the go, whenever they want. If wanted, your account will stay logged in, so in order to listen to your music, you just tap the app and play what you want.

Another platform Spotify is available on is the web player. Via the Spotify website, users can log into their account, and from then on, it is identical to the app. This is beneficial as it means users can log onto their account to listen to stuff when they are not on their device. For example, if someone goes to work and uses a shared computer, but wants to listen to their own music, they can still access their music without needing to download anything.

Design and components

As shown in the images above (under the interactive features and controls section), Spotify provides a clear layout that is personalised to its users own taste. Upon loading the app, your recently listened to songs or playlists are at the top, with the album artwork and title next to it. This interface gives users the opportunity to immediately listen to what they want.

The text for everything on the app is in the same sans serif font as the logo. It is also in white, against the dark grey/black background. This makes the information and text clear to read, whilst not taking attention away from the music and other titles shown on the Spotify interface.

Limitations

One of the limitations of the Spotify app is that to get the full experience with all features the app offers, users need to pay for premium. Without paying £9.99/month, users will have add breaks between their listening, and can not play specific songs (but instead have to listen to playlists or albums on shuffle).

Another limitation of the Spotify app is the size of the app. In terms of gigabytes, the app uses anywhere from 0.5 MB to 8 MB for a song - this means a single hour of streaming can add up to 6 GB of data. Similarly, if users want to download music so they can listen offline, the devices storage will quickly fill up. This is a limitation as there is a limit to how much music one device can store.

Legal and Ethical considerations

One thing needed to be considered is that it is suitable for the intended audience. The Spotify app is rated for 12 year olds and older. As apps are not regulated, it is an ethical issue, not legal. It would be morally wrong to allow young users to easily access explicit and inappropriate content. This would prevent parents downloading the app and buying Spotify premium. To prevent this issue, Spotify have released Spotify Kids - a separate app to Spotify (but with the same family account) where only clean and appropriate content is searchable for children.

A legal issue that may occur is copyright. The Copyright Act 1988 gives the author or creator protection of their original work, ensuring no one can copy, adapt, communicate, lend, or sell copies of their work. This may affect Spotify as most music artists own the rights to their work, meaning no one else can upload it. If they do, music artists may not want to work with Spotify, and they will have less content. To ensure they do not face this issue, Spotify respects intellectual property rights, and expects users to do the same. If someone believes their copyrighted material is available via Spotify, their services will remove it if needed.

Website - Urban Outfitters

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Urban Outfitters is a clothing store with a global online website to order directly to your address. Offering a range of clothes from many designers, including their own, Urban Outfitters targets a mass audience. This is reinforced as they offer home and lifestyle items to purchase. I will be discussing the range of interactive features on their website. Below is the hyperlink to the website.

https://www.urbanoutfitters.com/en-gb/

Interactive features and controls

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The image above shows the home screen from the website. Upon loading the site, there are immediately many interactive controls to allow users to have a personalised experience, providing them with what they want.

At the top, there are many options to customise your experience, such as the language it is, an option to sign in, and a place to find your local store. Below that, you can choose to search under the 'Womens' or 'Mens' categories. There is also a section for items on sale, and a search bar to find a specific piece.

There are images of clothing and other collections where if you click them, you are taken to the full collection.

Purposes

One of the purposes for the Urban Outfitters website is for entertainment. This is because it gives consumers the opportunity to purchase what they want directly to their address. This can act as a form of escapism, as consumers may forget about their struggles as they are focused and excited for their new purchase.

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Another purpose of the Urban Outfitters website is advertisement and promotion. This is because it allows users to buy not only from Urban Outfitter's own designs, but other designers. Some include Ed Hardy, Juicy Couture, and Adidas.

Formats and platforms

The Urban Outfitters website is not only optimised for computers and laptops, but also smartphones and tablets. This is beneficial as it allows buyers to constantly access the website when needed. As a lot of Urban Outfitter's consumers are young. Therefore, the ability to use the website on a range of devices appeals to a younger generation who are more geographically mobile.

Urban Outfitters also has an app. This can be downloaded on smartphones or tablets. This is beneficial as it means users do not need to constantly research for the website link and put their information in again.

Both the app and website allow users to sign into their account. This means it will remember their data and save clothes or other items they are interested in. This is a benefit as it gives a more personalised experience.

Designs and components

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The website has a cohesive design. All text is in the same sans serif font in black, against the white background. This makes the interactive features and items to purchase clear and focuses the attention upon them.

When clicking one of the titles at the top of the home page, such as 'Women's', users are shown many more sub-categories. This tool is beneficial as it allows users to find what they are looking for without being overwhelmed with images. It makes the website clear to navigate.

The simplicity of the website's aesthetic matches the modern genre of the items for sale.

Limitations

One limitation of the Urban Outfitters website is the requirement for internet connection to access it. Whilst this is the norm for websites, it is a limitation for an online shop due to the fact is not accessible at all times. For example, if someone is out and does not have wifi, they will not be able to browse the website and potentially purchase something.

Legal and Ethical considerations

A legal issue that could affect Urban Outfitter's website is from the Data Protection Act. This act ensures personal data and information will be secure and private. This is a massive consideration for this website as users must give their address and bank information in order to purchase something. In order to avoid breaching this act, Urban Outfitters will not share your information to outsider companies.

An ethical consideration from the Urban Outfitter's website is that it should be representative. This means their shop should represent all of society. If they do not, potential customers will feel they are not inclusive and may decide to not purchase from the shop. In order to not doing so, the website shows a diverse range of items that would appeal to a mass audience.

Gaming console - Nintendo Switch

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The Nintendo Switch is a gaming console by Nintendo where users can purchase games to play on it. I will be discussing the console and it's features, not the games you can play on it. Additionally, I will focus on the Nintendo Switch, not the Nintendo Switch Lite or Nintendo Switch OLeD.

Interactive features and controls

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The Nintendo Switch offers many interactive features. Upon turning on the device, users are brought to the home screen. One feature it provides is the ability to access the shop. Upon clicking the shop icon, users can purchase new games or other applications. This feature is very beneficial as it acts as a form of media convergence. Whilst in the past, to buy games for your console, you would need to go out to a shop and buy a physical game, this feature means users can purchase a digital copy whenever they want, almost immediately.

As the Nintendo Switch may appeal to a younger audience, it has an option to turn the console into a child device. When this is done, parents can set up a pin to control the device, limiting the option to purchase games and access settings. The child setting also offers a limitation on screen time. For example, if parents feel their children are on the console too much, they can set it so that they can only be on it for 1.5 hours, and the device will require a code to unlock after that. This therefore attracts a wider audience.

Another feature that the Nintendo Switch offers is the ability to take screenshots and store your images. On the joy-cons, there is a button users can press to screenshot. Someone may choose to do so if they have won a game for example, or an interesting moment occurs that they want to remember. On the home screen, there is a button to click the photo gallery; in this, there is all the screenshots that have been taken. You can change the order around, or delete pictures.

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The most prominent feature and unique selling point of the Nintendo Switch is the ability to dock it. Unlike on previous gaming consoles, such as the Nintendo DS, only one person can play at a time, and it can only be played on the device, the Nintendo Switch can be placed on the dock it comes with, and the joy-cons can be placed on the controller. Once placed, you can connect the dock to most monitors and TV's to play on a larger screen. Furthermore, you can connect other joy-cons to the same switch when docked so you can play multiplayer. This appeals to a mass audience as it is a form of media convergence and allows many people to come together and play games.

Purposes

One of the main purposes of the Nintendo Switch is entertainment. With over 4000 games available with different Pegi ratings, there is a game that can appeal to everyone. The Nintendo Switch allows users to escape their reality and immerse themselves into the game. They can have a enjoyable experience playing with characters they identify with, forgetting about problems they may face in real life.

Another purpose of the Nintendo Switch is interaction. This is demonstrated through the use of being able to play online games. Mass Multiplayer Online games, such as Fortnite, are accessible on the Nintendo Switch. This allows for interaction with other players as you can play online with them and win together. This is beneficial as it provides a community for gamers where they can meet people with similar interests to themselves. This links to the entertainment purpose as people can have fun with their friends or other players online. Furthermore, this links to the simulation purpose as players can immerse themselves into games and create a character that represents themselves.

Design and components

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The image on the left shows the home screen from the Nintendo Switch. The design layout is very clear - it shows each games image with the title in a row. This makes each game clear to see and gives users and easy experience.

The background is dark, thus not taking attention away from the games.

Limitations

One limitation of the Nintendo Switch is the overall costs. The actual Nintendo Switch console costs around £260 (varying at different stores). Whilst this is already quite expensive, the costs increase when purchasing games. For example, Mario Kart 8 for the Nintendo Switch is sold at Argos for £39.99. Therefore, these costs can be very expensive, especially for a young target audience of children.

Another limitation of the Nintendo Switch is the amount of storage. The console has 32GB of storage, in which a portion is reserved for software. Thus, the maximum amount of games the Nintendo Switch can hold is 24. Although users can offload some games to download more, there is still a limit to how many can be downloaded at once.

Legal and Ethical considerations

An ethical consideration that may affect the Nintendo Switch is having inappropriate content accessible to children. The Nintendo Switch offers Pegi 18 games. These are not appropriate for children as they may include inappropriate content that is sexual or gory. To ensure this does not happen, as spoken about previously, there is a child setting. This prevents children from purchasing games, and parents can set a screen time limit.

A potential legal issue that may affect the Nintendo Switch is from the Data Protection Act. This act ensures personal data and information will be secure and private. This could affect the Nintendo Switch as users need to provide their payment information to purchase games online. In order to avoid breaching this act, Nintenedo will not share your information to outsider companies.

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Sammy Bentwood Unit 4 and 9

Existing interactive products & delivery platforms

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