One of the developments that has really excited me over the last couple of years has been Flash full screen capability. "Old hat" I hear you say! Wait a moment, it's not the full screen feature itself but they way that it can be used to shift user experience from one mode to another that excites me...

The JavaScript Lightbox effect is similar to some extent, providing a focus on a particular item of content, usually an image, while suppressing visibility of the parent page. As you cast your gaze on the Lightbox'ed image you have actually entered a different mode of interaction with lessened or no surrounding distraction. You also have the added comfort of knowing that you can exit at any point by clicking that prominent close button....

Flash full screen offers an even more extreme shift of experience mode due to the full screen take over and loss of browser context. It seems to me there is much mileage to be had from offering a heightened, more immersive user experience following the move to full screen (from which one can retire at any point by hitting escape). Imagine, if you will, a typical user journey moving from one location to another in a linear path being enhanced by giving the ability to jump in and out of a parallel experience that is more intrusive and ultimately more engaging. Unlike a take-over ad format, this is a permission-based modal shift and in my opinion, a powerful technique in the domain of interaction design.

Thinking along these lines - I have created a fairly simple video player demo that enhances the full screen functionality so that rather than just the same video in full screen we get to see some additional options - in this case a cool interface that offers more videos to choose from!




The video player is positioned in a page just like any other player but offers an enhanced experience in full screen mode. In this case the user can select a new video in full screen mode and return to 'normal' mode, carrying the new selection with them. This type of functionality presents an interesting scenario as page content may not match video content on return from full screen. In this case should the player notify its host environment that change of content is required? A subject for a future post perhaps....

Once again, I'm using the Brightcove Platform to power this example - the simplest form of Brightcove player is used (one without a control strip, 'VideoDisplay' in BEML). However, the player is actually associated with a playlist behind the scenes which makes life easier when it comes to grabbing data and thumbnails for additional videos. A custom BEML component is used to control what happens when the Flash Player moves to full screen. The custom component also visualises a playlist at the foot of the playback area.

Colour-aware readers may notice that the colour of the bounding box of each thumbnail is sympathetic to the colour range of the individual image. This colour is actually the average colour of the thumbnail image, a sweet technique that has been around for a while but often overlooked.

Code and more details coming soon, I promise!