The representation of pattern in educational materials typically appears in static, printed form. Print-based media force complex informational relationships to be interpreted simultaneously which often diminishes the understanding of core concepts. In order to understand such content, people tend to dissect what they see, focusing on details rather than on large concepts.

The communication of complex information through print typically relies on textual and/or numerical representation because of its compactness; as a result, abstract theories and concepts must be intuited from data. Such representation also encourages people to reflect on what they see, rather than to engage actively in learning, because substantial interaction is difficult to facilitate in a static form. Therefore, print often fails to utilize many people's natural tendencies for learning.

In contrast, digital media elaborates on print-based conventions by providing the use of motion, time, and sound to communicate ideas. Not only are people drawn to things that move and emit sounds, many comprehend a greater amount of information through these additional channels than through static representations. Engaging multiple senses in the learning process also increases the likelihood that people will understand and retain more information. (Brouwer-Janse and Harrington, p.18)

"...one can immediately apprehend the complex changing patterns etched on fields of wheat or on the ocean by wind. We easily process the complex motions of individual bees in a swarm. We guide our own locomotion using complicated patterns of flowing motion."(Ibid.)

Time, motion, and sound provide forms of description that are absent in print. Characteristics that are invisible in static representations of information, such as the weight of objects and/or their speed, can easily be understood through a series of movements. Since people can alter motion and sound in their natural environments, similar interaction in digital spaces can become meaningful. Therefore, abstract concepts take on concrete, experiential (based on activity—the personal involvement in and observation of an event—which is felt) forms through the use of digital environments.

Digital media empowers designers and viewers with choices. Interactive environments enable people to access complex information incrementally, building and unfolding data over time. Layering information is an option, making the simultaneous comparison of content a voluntary, participatory event. As a result, the amount of information overload placed on viewers is less because all content is not visible at one time; viewers are able to study components of data individually or as a group. Digital environments also allow designers to structure complex information in the form of a narrative. Viewers receive the information they need at specific points in time, temporally constructing a story. Consequently, viewers are introduced incrementally to complex content and have time to reflect and understand the structure of the interface in use. Designers and educators need to explore conveying complex information digitally and interactively because of the substantial advantages digital media offers over print.