Interactivity and User Commitment - Relationship Building through Interaction on Websites

Promoting services through networked media requires more than an understanding ofcommerce. It requires a sense of what user behaviour takes place at the service interface, and how different activities are viewed by potential participants. It also demands knowledge of which of these activities may strengthen users’ interest in interacting as the producer wishes. First, a new framework to describe interaction is needed if we are to make connections between activities conducted online. Then, the understanding gained may be used to consider interaction design. A series of studies into the nature of interaction through websites is analysed here to provide modes of description for the particular nature of networked systems. This framework is then used to look at how site activities can be designed to promote participation. It shows that certain design features will promote a more social relationship between producer and user, assisting in the development of trust.