Tablet storytelling is visual, tappable, deep

Poynter reporting:
Three years after Apple and others put digital tablets firmly into the hands of consumers, what do we really know about the way the devices are used for news?
Hundreds of people filed in to a large ballroom at South by Southwest last week for “Lean Forward, Lean Back: Tablet News Experience” to hear perspectives from Poynter research, focus groups and practical case studies from news organizations around the world.
The session brought together part of Poynter’s research team, led by Poynter’s Sara Quinn, who shared findings of the Institute’s EyeTrack: Tablet study, with Mario Garcia, CEO and founder of Garcia Media, and researcher/developer David Stanton from Smart Media Creative. Jeremy Gilbert of Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern was also on the research team.
“It’s essential for editors to rethink how the audience consumes content,” Garcia told the crowd.
The international news designer recommends a multisensory approach to designing for the brain, the eye and the hands. “You must keep the finger happy,” he said, meaning that a tablet user expects to find elements of surprise and engagement. “Like a children’s pop-up book,” he said.
When Garcia maps out the possibilities for interactive “pop-up moments” in a story, he thinks of it much as a screen director might develop a storyboard.
http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/visual-voice/206747/tablet-storytelling-is-visual-tappable-deep/