How to Customize a Video Inside Idomoo's Player

Overview

Idomoo Video creators have the option to configure an In-Player Menu from within the Storybuilder, allowing their viewing audience to generate custom made videos utilizing the Idomoo Player Interface. This functionality allows creators to insert drop-down menus, checkboxes, free text, and more. By using these interface elements, the menu can be tailor made towards any need.

The customization feature is virtually unlimited, but here are three common scenarios for customizing the Idomoo In-Player Menu:

1. Viral videos: these can be altered by the end user before sending on a new version to another viewer. For example, if you wanted people to spread the word about a new service by sending influencers a message, they can then generate different versions of the same video and send it on to others. Click on the image to send videos to your friends.

2. An agent portal: agents use the In-Player Menu to customize a video by hand about an offer to a customer. They then generate the video and send it to the customer. Click on the image to customize the car offer yourself.

3. User generated content: let the user fill in information you don't know about them, before showing the final video. For example, a fitness studio may send out a video including the full data read out of the members usage. The viewer can then decide what data they would prefer to view during the video playback before sharing the cut down version on social media. Click on the image to create your own custom video.

The viewer journey for your customers

The In-Player Menu allows the viewer to interact with your video and generate a different version of the video for themselves. Below is an overview of how you can engage the viewer with this menu and what they are likely to be interacting with using the In-Player Menu.

How your customers engage with the In-Player Menu

There are a two ways to present the customizable menu to the viewer:

1. The viewer clicks the Bolt icon to display the In-Player Menu. In this case the viewer could be prompted to do so with a scene at the start of the video, or this instruction could be supplied in an email containing the link to the video. 

2. The player can be configured to open the In-Player Menu at a given point in time; e.g. it will open after a scene explains what the video is about and how to use the menu, or even start with the menu open. Read more in the player documentation .

The In-Player Menu Interface

Once the Bolt icon is activated by the user clicking on it, the In-Player Menu opens. Specifically this is the menu on the right of the image below.

The viewer can use these interface elements to change the content of the video, and click Update Video to generate a new version of the video for themselves.

It is your job to configure the In-Player Menu to make it an easy to understand and a valuable element of your video. You do this in the storybuilder by using the In-Player Customization panel.

How to configure the In-Player Menu

In the most basic form, an In-Player Menu interface element sends data to a parameter. Therefore, instead of the data being sent by an API call or a CSV, the data is sent by the viewer at the time of viewing. You can configure a storyboard to have some parameters driven by data coming from you and some parameters driven by data coming from the viewer.

To create a menu there are a series of steps you need to take for each interface element to function correctly. This workflow is as follows:

1. Access the In-Player Customization panel by clicking the bolt icon at the top right of the storybuilder interface.
2. As each element sends data to a parameter, you start by picking the parameter you wish to control with this In-Player Menu element.
3. Choose the type of data you want to use via the Parameter Type menu (e.g text, image, audio and so on).
4. Choose what kind of interface element to use (for example: drop-down menu or free text input).
5. Input a title for the interface element.
6. Repeat with more parameters if required.
7. Once the parameters are created, you can then arrange them into the order in which you would like them displayed.
8. Optionally you may also change the Advanced Features.

Details on each of these steps can be found below.

How to Access the In-Player Customization Panel

The In-Player Customization panel is where you configure the In-Player Menu. This is accessed from within Storybuilder by clicking on the Bolt icon at the top right of the interface.

Once you click the Bolt icon, the In-Player Customization panel appears. This is where you configure the interface elements of your In-Player Menu.

How to configure a parameter

With the In-Player Customization panel open, it is possible to create a new Parameter (or select an existing one) and define what interface element to create for it. This is accomplished by initially choosing a Parameter type and then choosing a Display option (see table below). The display options will be dependent on the parameter type.

Once you have picked your preferred options in the two drop down menus, the "Title on player's form" field is automatically filled with an appropriate title, which includes the parameter name, such as Choose <paramater_name>. You can change this to any title you like, as well as remove any text if no title is required.

Note: You cannot save the In-Player Menu settings if mandatory fields are not correctly completed. The ‘OK’ button is disabled, when this is the case.

How to configure Binary Parameters

A Binary Parameter has a state, which is either On or Off and is represented by a checkbox. The most common usage is to let the viewer select which parts of the video they wish to see. The value from the parameter then drives a scene logic rule including or excluding the scene from the video (link to logic article).

Here is a short example explaining this concept:

Your original video creates an overview of a recent purchase on a commercial site. In this initial format, the video is short, but by using In-Player customization, the viewer has the ability to ask for further details, such as bonus points earned, or additional purchases that might compliment the original.

This example can be created using the following workflow:

1. The binary parameter needs to be defined on the In-Player Customization panel. As with any other parameter, first the user needs to assign an existing parameter or create a parameter and select the True/False (Binary) option.
2. A parameter is added to the list on the right after “parameter type” is selected, automatically inside a group. When clicking an item contained in the list on the right hand of the panel, the left side of the panel reflects the state of the interface element.

   

3. The value that was assigned as the ‘value to be passed when option checked’ on the bottom of the panel, needs to be assigned to the relevant scene logic rule as the value to which the logical condition is compared.

   i.e. The word ‘True’ in the defined logic below;

4. When these rules are applied in the storyboard and a video is sent to a viewer, the viewer can check the appropriate option on the In-Player Menu (shown below). This, in turn, sends the correct value and a new version of the video is generated and now contains the extra scene.

   

Binary parameters groups

The group option on the right hand side of the panel allows various parameters to be collected together and displayed under the same title. There are two ways to add parameters to a group:

1. Duplicate an existing parameter and edit the newly created one.

   

2. Change the group title to match another existing group title. See below.

   

   The above image shows the state before changing the group title and the one below shows the result of changing the group title to an existing group title. The two parameters are now grouped.

   

Once this has been done, parameters are displayed under the group title on the right side of the popup. To configure the group title click the group title on the right hand side of the panel, and edit it on the left hand side. You can then also choose to limit the number of items to select in a group.

How to add and rearrange parameter order

Parameters can be added, moved, copied or deleted using the various icons in the In-Player Customization panel.

• To add a new parameter , click the Add Parameter button
• To move a Parameter, click the up or down arrows next to the parameter
• To copy or delete a parameter, click either the copy icon or the delete icon

  

Note: Binary parameter types are ordered in groups and only the whole group can be rearranged.

How to configure advanced options

Advanced options contain modification options that are reflected on the In-Player Menu seen by the viewer.

The first option is to add ‘Allow Viewer Customization’ to the In-Player Menu using a checkbox. Checking this adds another button to the In-Player Menu allowing the user to choose whether or not the next video will contain an In-Player Menu.

This stops further manipulation of a generated video and should be used when, for example, an agent uses the In-Player Menu to create a video for a customer. They need the menu to generate the video, but they don't want the customer to have the ability to change the video.

The two other options in this section allows to change title text that appears on the In-Player Menu:

• The default title for the In-Player Menu is ‘Customize video’ or ‘Customise video’ (depending on the region where the video is played). However, this can be changed to any string of text from 0 (no title), up to a maximum of 25 characters.
• The default button title is ‘Update video’. This can also be changed to any string of text up to 20 characters. This text should move the viewer’s actions onwards, completing the form and generating a new video.

Privacy policy

The In-Player Menu receives direct input from the viewer, and it is possible this input may contain private data belonging to the viewer. To satisfy various legal restrictions and requirements that govern the collection of private data, it is obligatory to add a valid link to a company privacy policy page.

The link appears when the viewer opens the In-Player customization form and allows them to click the link, and view the privacy policy of that particular company.