by Andre Jaay
Animated talking avatars, Virtual representatives and Web Characters are growing dramatically in popularity because they work! It’s no accident.
It so much easier to put over complex product and service information using the spoken word, a thirty second narration is infinitely more effective and memorable than 2 pages of text and images. it’s what the media industry calls “lean back marketing”, where the viewer or visitor just relaxes and absorbs the information. Not only does the visitor get a concise and exacting media narration but it helps your site stand out from the crowd, become more memorable.
In an educational setting it’s a proven fact that information retention and concentration is enhanced when faced with compelling content. So what should you look for in your animated talking character. The Avatar Look: Is your talking web characters “attractive”, or does it look as though it has fallen out of the ugly tree, is it well crafted and generally compelling, or amateurish and poorly animated. Does it suit your image … is the quality something you are comfortable associating with.
Nice Avatar or Nasty Avatar: Many offerings look as though it has fallen out of the ugly tree, is the quality something you are comfortable being associated with your image. So it’s fair to say you’re talking virtual representative should be “attractive” to look at and have a compelling and convincing animation. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Automated Lip-Syncing: Is the avatar lip-sync accurate? there is nothing worse than watching a virtual representative that resembles a badly dubbed movie, it is critical, our brains react in micro-seconds when faced with something that doesn’t look right! It seems bizarre but most animated talking character offerings have less than convincing lip-syncing to say the least. Simple tests include; Does the virtual representatives lips stop moving when silent? Does it shape the phonemes correctly or is it just a random selection of gibberish?
Ambient animation during delivery: Some offerings out there have adopted the “toy” approach to avatar control, the visitor can move the mouse left, right, up and down and the eyes and sometimes the head follow the pointer, that’s great as a “toy” but it dramatically detracts from the “message”. How can a viewer be expected to absorb the information from your narration, if they are poking the character with the mouse and trying to get it to cross its eyes. Virtual Compares are serious tools, yes they can make you smile, and yes there is definitely a “novelty” factor, this is one of animated web characters strengths. Remember the primary purpose is to put over your message and help you stand out from the crowd. If you wish to be humorous put it in your script, then you are in control of the delivery. All animations should be kept to a minimum to avoid distraction. Less is definitely more.
Talking Web Character - Not a robot! The quality of the narration is a key element in any media production, people would generally prefer an obvious amateur talking that the dreaded text to speech (TTS). Sometime in life a little care and attention to quality cannot be addressed with technology, and TTS is a prime example, what may seem like a great technology leave a great deal to be desired when you are the listener not the creator. Synthesized voices are great if you are using a Robot talking web character, but a definite no no if you are not. You will be surprised how inexpensive it can be to get professional voice over’s done, and in this day of high speed connections, there is a myriad of resources on the web to get them done. Most of us don’t like the sound of our own voice, so use a friend, or just bite the bullet and give it a go, at least you have full control of the delivery.
Modifying the look of your Virtual Representative: You want your visitors and users to build a rapport with your virtual representative, so changing its looks continually does not offer continuity to the visitor,, most of us like familiarity. Having a Virtual representative that the visitor can mess with only detracts from the message your Web compare is trying to put over.
Integration and Hosting your Talking Avatar: Give a great deal of thought to this area as its rife with potential additional charges and risks. If you are on a Pay-for-view contract, a contract that charges you a monthly fee for so many streams, the risk is your growth in visitation, you end up with one of two potential problems; you have to pay more because you had a higher visitation as your site grows in popularity, or, you can’t afford to pay more, so your talking avatar disappears and leaves a block with the suppliers logo in place. The same goes for supplier hosting, you have no control over their hosting facility, if you rely on your web compare and your service suppliers servers go down you have lost your “voice”. If you own internet service goes down at least the whole site is no longer visible. Always try and use a solution that will give you total control, create your composition in your time, generate industry standard output (Flash, Flash Video or conventional Video ) and have total flexibility when it comes to integration.
Add a touch of flexibility: Flexibility can offer multiple uses as you become more adventurous with your virtual representatives so consider the following; The ability to be creative and design your production off-line; Can you get your hands on the native output in an industry standard format such as Flash, Flash Video, AVI etc so you could integrate your work into other environments such as Powerpoint, Camtasia, youTube, eBay etc, is there a good selection of compelling characters, care there additional composition add-ons such as clothing and backgrounds available. Are there any other services that can assist you from the supplier such as Voice-Overs, integration and bespoke services. Every little helps. Education & Training the compelling way: Imagine a PowerPoint presentation, facts, figures, graphs and images and there delivering the presentation, embedded within the screen a virtual tutor, available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. CBT has a new face, virtual assistants and guides integrate seamlessly into presentation media. Many formal education and training environments from the junior and pre-school nursery to the marble corridors of the corporate giants have seen the power of compelling media delivery. Literature assignment can be delivered in context and even brain teasing science and math education can become more precise when you have the help of a virtual tutor that has the power of “voice”. Un-attended education across the web or operated locally makes virtual education delivery highly effective and manageable. We know that retention is improved, we know that “lean back” education can be effortlessly absorbed and we know that there is nothing more powerful when it comes to delivering complex ideas or facts than the spoken word. The flexibility is endless. Education creators can concentrate on the subject matter and choose the ideal Virtual Tutor to assist in the process. Virtual Teachers can be available in different forms. Technology at its best, with a face and a purpose.
Summary: Doing any job badly is not a good idea, many people grab hold of a new technology and throw it at their audience with little thought. Implementing a bad Animated Virtual Representative is detrimental and could reflect on your business, take your time in the creation and don’t settle for second best. Remove the risk.
A new face on Education Delivery: Avatars are excellent for online education. They provide the human interaction that is natural in classrooms and in the traditional learning environment. Virtual Teaching Avatars provide a face to the students. They also provide the human element to online teaching. It’s a proven fact that rich media education delivery and in particular that produced using an animated virtual teacher has a higher level of retention, complex information is much easier to convey and absorb when delivered using the spoken word, add into the mix a compelling animated tutor significantly enhances the compelling nature of the subject material. Un-attended education across the web or operated locally makes virtual education delivery highly effective and manageable, available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. It’s no coincidence that the uptake and adoption of virtual teaching methods can be found in all corners of the education field, from the junior and pre-school nursery to the marble corridors of the corporate giants, they have all seen and experienced the power of compelling media delivery. Education creators can concentrate on the subject matter and choose the ideal Virtual Tutor to assist in the process. Virtual Teachers can be available in different forms. Technology at its best, with a face and a purpose. Take a PowerPoint presentation, graphs, facts, figures and images, nice enough, add a virtual full animated teacher into the mix and you now have a new breed of educational delivery. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, with the same happy disposition; virtual, animated, automated lip-syncing and compelling content combined with contextual delivery brings a new voice to education.
About the Author:
There are many shapes and sizes within the Virtual Character market so check out all of the competition and the options and costs. A new kid on the block is AlterEgos they have a free trial version that you can get and play with in the comfort of your own home.
Click for AlterEgos Homepage