Coded Interactions

Good questions, Alex. I've been working in the same space — code blocks in Rise — and the audio limitation you hit is the one I keep running into too. It's the browser, not Rise: audio can't start without a user gesture, so any coded interaction that plays sound has to be wired to a click or tap. In a custom block that usually means a visible play/start control, which changes the design more than you'd expect.

On responsiveness: code blocks reflow with the page, but your HTML inside has to do its own work. I test every interaction at 360px wide and check that nothing needs horizontal scrolling — fixed pixel widths inside a code block are the usual breakage.

On accessibility, three things I'd add:

- Keyboard operability: every control in the interaction needs to be reachable and operable by keyboard, not just clickable divs.

- ARIA live regions for feedback: if the interaction gives visual feedback (correct/incorrect, scores), announce it in a live region so screen reader users get the same information.

- prefers-reduced-motion: if you're animating, respect it. A media query check in your CSS is a few lines.

Do I see coded interactions becoming bigger? Honestly, yes for bespoke one-off moments, no as a default pattern. The maintenance cost is real — every coded interaction is code you own forever, including when Rise updates around it. I use them where nothing native can do the job, and native blocks everywhere else.