Create an interactive catalogue for iPad or Touch Screen TV

[outsidetheblog]

Hi,

I like to know what applicaitons I should use if I want to create

a simple product catalgoue which is showcased either on touch screen display

or iPad at trade show. Am I able to use InDesign to do that?

Some trade show exhibitors use iPad to display such product informaiton.

If InDesign is able to do that to diplay, to browse and to play video, that will be good.

Just wonder what file format will it be exported to be used on iPad.

If I want that catalgoue to be used on a Touch screen display, will ID export a file

to interactive PDF?

Thanks in advance.

[Eugene Tyson]

It can you can export an interactive PDF from InDesign that can have clickable icons, go between pages, and play videos.

And best to play the Interactive PDF using Adobe Acrobat - other PDF readers might not work as well.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/looking-for-samples-of-a-great-interactive-pdf/t...

https://creativestudiosderby.co.uk/top-5-interactive-features-can-built-pdfs-indesign/

[outsidetheblog]

Thanks, if I export an interactive PDF, that means we will use Acrobat to run the catalogue itself on screen.

This will be a cost saving option but the interactive PDF sometimes have difficulty to perform certain interaction on screen.

[Derek Cross]

If you have the budget, have a look at in5:  https://ajarproductions.com

[outsidetheblog]

Thanks Derek,

I checked their website. in5 plug-ins allow you perform many different tasks such as flip-books, website, ipad kiosk .

Sounds like what I'm looking for. Create a simple website to showcase product catalogue displayed on screen.
Or ipad kiosk but that means we need to purchase a kiosk app to run the catalogue. For touch screen display, website will serve my purpose. 

[BobLevine]

For iPad kiosks I have used fixed layout epub in the past quite successfully. This does require a lot of work and testing but the books app on the iPad works nicely for this.

For Windows based devices you'd need to use Thorium Reader and that may require two separate files but you can make it work. However, as Derek mentions, in5 is better choice and will give you more features and flexibility.

Edit: Interactive PDF is an awful choice for this due to limited interactive features and lack of reader app support.

[outsidetheblog]

Thanks Bob, I would like to display product information (texts, images or video) more on slide show format.

in5 definelty is a good option compared to interactive PDF.

Rather than using InDesign or PowerPoint application, do you know if Adobe XD can let me do that?

Just realized when doing my research, XD is almost terminated by Adobe. Since we have Creative Clouds,

we don't need to spend extra to use another application. XD is more like a prototype application. If it can

create slide show format, this will be good. 

[BobLevine]

Almost? They tried to buy Figma for a reason.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I'd use plain HTML/CSS development, to be honest. But if you want InDesign's design capabilities, exporting through In5 to HTML is a streamlined path.

[outsidetheblog]

Thanks James, other than in5, do you think Adobe XD will work? A prototype application. 

All I want is a Product Catalgoue displayed in a slide show format. People can jump from one slide to certain slide

depending on what they choose. 

[Eugene Tyson]

Powerpoint can do that. 

It doesn't need to be complicated. 

[BobLevine]

I agree with Eugene. You're overthinking this.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

To back this up to some root issues, there are often similar questions — "I want to create an interactive app/book/kiosk/presentation/directory..." These requests usually come from a common source of "having seen something like that somewhere" — or even a very specific example of an interactive "book" on a tablet, or interactive building directory/kiosk. Such things very much do exist.

What most of these questions ignore, or overlook, or fail to grasp is that "interactive thingywidgets" don't exist in a vacuum. They are, in one way or another, a app or applet that runs on a platform. They have to have a host, and an engine, and an 'operating system' of some kind, which is fundamentally more important than a document, program, script or app created in... InDesign or any other tool.

That is, the question is often asked backwards, or without a foundation. You want to create an interactive sales deck for tablets? Great. What platform is it going to run on — as a freestanding app on the tablet's OS? In a browser? In a support app like PowerPoint? In an EPUB reader?

Once you know what platform you have to work with, or choose one among many, the relatively trivial question of "how do I make an interactive façade on that platform" becomes almost self-answering. But until you consider the platform question, asking what tool to use and how best to do it is... almost useless speculation.

My go-to answer is to use the world of HTML/CSS/JS, which is supported on a browser on nearly every screen-based platform in use, and can be "embedded" or encapsulated easily. Only if you need more app-like features should you consider any more complex platform, app or proprietary app development.

But it has to be platform/OS/support app first, marvelous interactive wonderment second. No matter what you saw somewhere once. 🙂

[outsidetheblog]

Thanks James,

We don't have a special platform we prefer to run the sales deck. I would say a browser would be the best bet as

it's free. in5 will be an option but it's a subscription base application. That's why I think of Adobe XD even though

this program is no longer supported from Adobe. It's still functional. I personally don't have any knowledge of Adobe XD

and in5. I think learning XD wouldn't be hard as I just want to create an interface to let people browse our prodcuts with

texts, images or videos. 

As Adobe XD is mean for a prototype, can I still use it to build an interfactive website and export the files to be played on a laptop to view in a browser? Thanks.

[Derek Cross]

PowerPoint will do what you want.

[Eugene Tyson]

That's what I said earlier too