We are seeing a big push into interactive publishing. From iPads to Chromebooks to mobile devices … the future of books is a hot topic right now. There are places like Boundless offering free customized open source textbooks and even textbook publishers building entire iTunes U for classes. The book of the future is being written right now, it seems.

In the above video, design consultancy IDEO shares their vision for the future of the book. It’s an interesting take on what the new experience of reading might entail.

Read more about the book over at IDEO’s official website. A bit of background from the IDEO folks:

The team looked at how digital and analog books currently are being read, shared and collected, as well as at trends, business models and consumer behavior within related fields. We identified three distinct opportunities—new narratives, social reading with richer context, and providing tools for critical thinking—and developed a design concept around each one.

The first concept, “Alice,” turns storytelling on its head by making narratives non-linear and participatory. With Alice, the story world starts bleeding into the everyday life of the reader. Real-world challenges, like acting on a phone call from the lead character, or participating in photo based scavenger hunts, unlock new aspects of the story, and turn other readers into collaborators or competitors. Alice is a platform for authors to experiment with narratives, to allow their stories to transcend media, and to engage fans in the storytelling process.