Project Goal: Design and build an interactive, non-linear museum guide for a fictional museum called the “Institute of Future History.” The guide will be a standalone Google Slides presentation that can be navigated by a user without a presenter.

This project goes beyond simple slide transitions and animations. It requires deep knowledge of linking, embedding, and creative design to create a seamless, interactive experience.

Core Requirements & Advanced Techniques

Your final presentation must effectively use the following features:

1. Hyperlinking & Non-Linear Navigation:

  • Slide-to-Slide Navigation: The user must be able to click on different exhibits from a main “floor plan” or “gallery” slide to jump directly to a specific exhibit slide.
  • External Links: Include at least three links to external websites that provide “more information” about the exhibits (e.g., a link to a Wikipedia page about a specific historical event or a video).
  • Internal Navigation: Each exhibit slide must have a “back” button or link that takes the user directly back to the main gallery slide.
  • Creative Linking: Think beyond simple text. Link shapes, images, or even parts of an image to different slides.

2. Animations & Transitions:

  • Object Animations: Use a combination of animations on click and animations after previous to reveal information on an exhibit slide. For example, have text and images fade in one by one as the user clicks through the details of an artifact.
  • Subtle Transitions: Use subtle transitions like “Fade” or “Dissolve” between slides to create a smooth, professional feel. Avoid flashy or distracting transitions.
  • Advanced Animation Timing: Use the animation pane to set precise timing and order for objects to appear, creating a choreographed reveal of information.

3. Advanced Media & Embedding:

  • Embedded YouTube Videos: Embed at least two YouTube videos that play directly within the presentation to provide more context for the exhibits. The videos should be set to auto-play or on click, and you must format them so they fit seamlessly into your design.
  • Audio Integration: While Google Slides doesn’t have a native “audio” button, you can insert a Google Drive audio file and set it to play automatically or on click to add background music or sound effects to a specific slide.
  • Masking & Cropping: Use the image-cropping tools and shape-masking features to creatively frame images and videos to fit your design aesthetic.

4. Design & Layout Mastery:

  • Custom Theme & Master Slides: Create a custom theme with a consistent color palette, fonts, and a unique background. Use Master Slides to define the layout for your exhibit slides, ensuring every slide maintains a consistent look and feel without manual adjustments.
  • Shape Manipulation: Use the shape tools to create custom buttons, icons, or graphical elements that match your theme. Utilize the “Group” and “Arrange” functions to keep elements organized and easy to move.
  • Transparent PNGs & GIFs: Use transparent images (PNGs) to layer elements and create a sense of depth. You could also include a simple, well-placed GIF for a bit of motion.

Project Execution Steps

  1. Define Your Exhibits:
    • Choose a theme for your “Future History” museum. Examples: “The Rise of AI,” “Humanity’s Journey to Mars,” or “Everyday Tech of the 22nd Century.”
    • Create a list of 5-7 “exhibits” (e.g., “The First Martian Colony Rover,” “A Holo-Tablet from 2150,” “Neural Interface Prototypes”).
  2. Create Your Master Slides:
    • Design the core layout for your exhibits. This is where you’ll define the “look” of your guide. Include placeholders for titles, images, and text.
    • Create a unique master slide for your main “gallery” or “floor plan” slide.
  3. Build Your Main Gallery Slide:
    • Design a visual map or layout where the user can click on different areas to go to each exhibit. Use shapes and images as the clickable links.
  4. Populate Your Exhibit Slides:
    • Use the layouts you created in the Master Slides.
    • Add images, text, and embedded media (videos, audio) for each exhibit.
    • Apply the animations and transitions you planned.
  5. Test & Refine:
    • Run the presentation in “Present” mode.
    • Click through all the links to ensure they work correctly.
    • Check that all media plays as intended and that the animations are timed perfectly.
    • Share the project with a friend or colleague and ask them to navigate it to see if the experience is intuitive.

This project offers a significant challenge that goes beyond what most users do with Google Slides, forcing you to think about the presentation as a piece of interactive software rather than a linear narrative. Good luck!

<
Previous Post
⚡ JavaScript Async Functions (async/await): Never Freeze And Wait!
>
Next Post
🔄 JavaScript Async Iterators: The Magic Behind YouTube Playlist