How can I make a clickable flow chart?

August 29, 2020 5:12 PM

I'm trying to make a "clickable flow chart" for a friend - though it doesn't necessarily have to be a flow chart. It could be more like a "clickable quiz." I'm putting these things in quotes because I don't really know what I'm talking about. Basically, I'm trying to amuse a friend by making a big, flowy letter with several options. Another way to think of this might be a "choose your own adventure" type story. Halp?

So I'm trying to write a letter to my friend and give them options. Like, letting them click through and determine which flow to the letter they read. Or, just follow a very large flow chart with no clicking. Or click options on a quiz. I think that's a basic-enough description, but you'll let me know if I need to get more specific.

Is there something online or an app I can use to build such a story/letter/flow chart? I will pay money for it, but I know so little about this whole idea that I'm sure I'm not even asking the right questions. Will accept any advice!

posted by BlahLaLa to Technology (14 answers total)

There's an online recreation of HyperCard called ViperCard, which might be of use.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 5:45 PM on August 29, 2020 [4 favorites]

Best answer: I think you might be interested in Twine.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:46 PM on August 29, 2020 [18 favorites]

Best answer: I think you could do this with google forms. It may get messy depending on how many variations you want though. It’s basically just and equivalent to “if yes for #2, answer #2a”
posted by raccoon409 at 6:05 PM on August 29, 2020

You can do it in Powerpoint using HTML links to send you to different pages.
posted by b33j at 6:14 PM on August 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

Seconding Twine. That's what it's for.
posted by entropone at 6:29 PM on August 29, 2020 [4 favorites]

Yep, that’s a job for Twine.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 7:02 PM on August 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

If you use Gmail (free!) you can use Google Slides, which is a free clone of Powerpoint.

If you want it to look like a book with portrait (tall) pages, you can set custom slide styles.

Just like in Powerpoint, or Apple Keynote on a Mac, you can create "buttons on a page and link them to other slides.

Remember to put some interface buttons so the user can always jump back to the beginning or back to the last decision if you do a choose your own adventure path.

A bonus of using Google Slides, Keynote or Powerpoint is that you can create a PDF as a final product or leave it in the cloud as a private shared file.
posted by bobdow at 8:31 PM on August 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

You could also write this in Google docs. Make each branch/choice in the essay a link to a new Bookmarked section of the Doc for that storyline. As bobdow suggested, add 'back to start' links at the endof each different storyline to renew the options.
posted by TDIpod at 10:01 PM on August 29, 2020

I think you want to search using the term "interactive fiction". See here for some open source options.
posted by chr at 12:50 AM on August 30, 2020

Yeah, Twine. An example.
posted by brook horse at 5:06 AM on August 30, 2020

Fifthing Twine.
posted by sixswitch at 9:13 AM on August 30, 2020

Google Forms allow you to branch based on selections.
posted by Yavsy at 10:32 AM on August 30, 2020

I’m very sad that everyone’s answer (including mine) wasn’t HTML.
posted by at at 5:09 AM on August 31, 2020

Response by poster: So Twine absolutely does what I want to do...only it seems like a lot of work. And Google Forms and/or the Google version of PowerPoint would be other options.

I think I may just make a PowerPoint-esque thing in Canva because it has the flattest learning curve.

Thank you for the suggestions!
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:57 AM on August 31, 2020 [1 favorite]