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You shipped a polished training video. Completion stalls, and a week later, learners remember little.
That’s the trap of passive video in L&D, sales enablement, and onboarding: low engagement, low retention.
Interactive videos fix this. In a controlled study, students using interactive video performed significantly better on exams than those using standard online content.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to create interactive videos that boost completion, sharpen knowledge checks, and give you actionable analytics.
What are interactive videos?
Interactive videos are videos that accept user input—clicks, choices, quizzes, or forms—so viewers can influence what they see next. Think of them as the difference between watching a lecture and participating in a workshop. You're not just consuming content; you're actively engaging with it.
Unlike traditional videos limited to play, pause, and skip controls, interactive videos offer:
- Clickable hotspots that reveal additional information
- Multiple-choice questions that lead to different scenarios
- Embedded forms for feedback and data collection
- Branching paths where choices determine the storyline
- Knowledge checks that test understanding in real-time
- CTAs that drive specific actions like booking demos or downloading resources
You can use interactive videos for product demos, training, education, and simulations. If you need immersion, you can also incorporate 360° scenes where viewers control their perspective. But here's what matters most: interactive videos support active learning and improve comprehension, making them particularly valuable for L&D teams, sales enablement, and customer education.
Interactive video vs. video interactivity
"Interactive video" and "video interactivity" sound similar but serve different purposes in your content strategy:
Interactive video is the actual content experience that requires and responds to viewer input. It's what your learners see and engage with—the video that branches based on their choices or tests their knowledge with embedded quizzes.
Video interactivity refers to the feature set inside your tool or platform—the buttons, branching logic, quiz builders, and analytics capabilities that enable you to create interactive videos.
Any standard video can become interactive by layering clickable elements, branching scenarios, and questions on top. The key is choosing the right interactivity features for your specific goals.
What are the elements of an interactive video?
Creating effective interactive videos means understanding which elements serve your objectives. In my work with L&D teams, I've seen how the right combination can transform completion rates from mediocre to exceptional. Here's what you can include:
- Buttons and hotspots: Clickable areas that open links, jump to scenes, or reveal content. Perfect for product tours or additional context.
- Branching scenarios: Choose-your-own-path experiences where decisions lead to different outcomes. Ideal for sales training and customer service simulations.
- Quizzes and knowledge checks: Multiple-choice questions with retry options that test understanding. Essential for compliance training.
- Polls, surveys, and forms: Collect feedback, opinions, or lead information directly within the video.
- Chapters and navigation menus: Let viewers jump to relevant sections, crucial for longer training modules.
- CTAs (Call-to-Actions): Drive specific actions like booking demos, downloading resources, or starting trials.
- 360° explorations: Drag-to-look environments for virtual tours or immersive experiences (optional for most use cases).
- Transcripts and closed captions: Essential for accessibility and comprehension.
- Analytics and tracking: SCORM/xAPI/LMS integrations to measure engagement and learning outcomes.
In Synthesia, you can add buttons, hotspots, branching, quizzes, chapters, and CTAs directly in the editor.
Are interactive videos effective?
The data speaks for itself. Students report interactive videos as more enjoyable and effective for learning compared to passive content. Even more compelling, interactive video learners outperformed those using standard online materials in a controlled medical education study.
But effectiveness goes beyond academic studies. I've seen teams report higher completion rates, better knowledge retention, and reduced compliance risk when shifting mandatory training to short, interactive modules. One organization I worked with saw their completion rates jump from 85% to 97% in just three months after adding knowledge checks and branching scenarios.
With interaction data—clicks, correct/incorrect answers, drop-off points—you can identify knowledge gaps and iterate. This isn't just about making videos more engaging; it's about creating measurable learning outcomes that directly impact business results.
What to measure
Focus on metrics that matter:
- Completion rate and time-to-completion
- Interaction rate (percentage engaging with interactive elements)
- Correct answer rate on knowledge checks
- Branch selections to understand learner preferences
- CTA clicks and conversions
- Drop-off points to identify problem areas
With Synthesia's video analytics and SCORM export features, you can track completion and quiz scores in your LMS while monitoring in-video interactions directly in Synthesia.
How to create interactive videos
Getting Started
You can convert existing training materials (like PDFs, Word docs, or PowerPoints) into videos. In the Synthesia dashboard, open the AI Video Assistant and choose how to start: upload a file, link a webpage, describe what you want, or paste a full script. The example uses a Word document with a security training script.
Using Templates & Branding
Pick a theme from Synthesia’s template library to give your video a polished look. Apply your brand kit (logo, fonts, colors) to match your company style. Add details like video length, training objectives, and target audience to help the AI generate a better result.
Generating Outline & Video
The AI creates a chapter-based script outline, which you can edit, delete, or add to. Once approved, Synthesia generates a detailed scene preview with avatar placement, text, and script. You can either generate the video immediately or refine it further in the Synthesia editor.
Editing & Customization
Customize scripts, text placement, and avatars within the editor. Choose from hundreds of avatars in the library.
Adding Interactivity
Turn a standard video into an interactive quiz by adding scenes with clickable options. Create separate “correct” and “incorrect” answer pages, then link the on-screen text to those pages.
Enhancing with B-roll
Generate custom B-roll clips using AI (Google Veo V3) by describing what you want to see.
Publishing & Analytics
Once finished, generate and publish the video. View analytics (views, watch time, completion rates, and click-through rates) to measure engagement.
Personalization
You can make the videos even more engaging by adding a personal AI avatar that looks and sounds like you.
Step 4: Measure and iterate
Launch with a clear measurement plan. Track interaction rates, completion rates, and knowledge check scores. Use this data to identify drop-off points and optimize future versions.
Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)
After helping dozens of teams create interactive videos, I've seen the same mistakes repeatedly. Here's how to avoid them:
Transform your videos into experiences
Interactive videos aren't just a trend—they're a response to real challenges. When completion rates are low, retention is poor, and engagement is dropping, adding interactivity can transform your results. Whether you're creating sales training, compliance modules, or customer education, the principles remain the same: give viewers control, make it relevant, and measure what matters.
Start small. Pick one video that's underperforming and add a simple interactive element—maybe a knowledge check or branching scenario. Test it with a small group, measure the results, and iterate. Remember to be transparent about data collection and respect your learners' time with focused, valuable interactions.
Ready to create your first interactive video? Synthesia makes it simple to turn text into engaging videos with built-in interactivity. No film crew needed—just your ideas and a clear goal for what you want viewers to learn, do, or remember.
About the author
Learning Strategist & Speaker
Elly Henriksen
Elly Henriksen is a accomplished instructional designer exploring the impact of AI-generated content on learning design. With eight years of experience across both professional and higher education institutions, notably The University of Washington, Elly provides an insightful perspective on the transformative power of synthetic media for learners and instructional designer. Her versatile roles, from course facilitator to eLearning author and LMS administrator, give her a unique vantage point on the evolving trends in instructional design and how AI impacts the learning landscape. Explore Elly's insights and her pursuit of leveraging AI to redefine the future of the learning world.
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