In this chapter you will learn:

multimedia – what it is and what it is for

the use of multimedia for a range of purposes

components of multimedia products

how information in multimedia products is structured

how to evaluate multimedia products effectivelytt

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Investigatingmultimedia products

Multimedia plays an increasingly important part in our lives. It gives us accessto information and knowledge in new and inspiring ways, using combinationsof multimedia assets such as video, audio, animation, images and text.

When you log on to websites, play computer games, visit museums or go tomodern shopping centres, you will almost certainly be seeing multimedia inaction.You also encounter it every time you watch a DVD, use e-learningmaterials or, for that matter, the digimodules provided with this course.

In this chapter you will investigate a broad cross-section of multimediaproducts.You should make a real effort to investigate and evaluate as manyproducts as you can, and do it in a focused way. Don’t be fooled by technicalwizardry – it may not really add anything to the product. Hopefully you willbe inspired to develop your own products.

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Multimedia can be used to teach science online

A multimedia product is a combination of differentcomponents that gives the user a multi-sensoryexperience.Websites and computer games are just twoexamples.They make use of video, audio, images andanimation as well as text. If you intend to use only textin a product, you should think about writing a book or areport instead!

Multimedia can allow you to reach a bigger audienceand to engage with people in a different way frombooks or newspapers.

It can be entertaining and exciting. Compare atraditional board game with its computer version.Movies and animations add excitement to learning.Imagine this book without its on-screen activities.Simulations can develop high-level skills such asflying an aircraft.Multimedia provides accessibility for people withdisabilities by providing information in a number offormats.Multimedia can allow communication with a wideraudience even if they speak a different language.

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Investigating multimedia products

Multimedia products are used widely in:

educationvirtual realityentertainment and leisure.

Businesses and commercial organisations also usemultimedia to promote their products and services.

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11Multimedia in educationOne of the editors of this book can remember using a slate and chalk at school! Theauthors only had pen and paper, but you have so much more. Multimedia makes learningeasier and more fun, through interactive materials, digital narratives or stories, and movies.

This ActiveBook is an example of an e-learning product that makes full use of differenttypes of multimedia.

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Why use multimedia? The multimedia experience

TALKING POINT 1.1How many examples of multimedia products can you think of? What is thepurpose of each one? Is the multimedia necessary or would the product be just asgood without it?

TALKING POINT 1.3List the different ways in which multimedia is changing the way people learn.For example, how do young children benefit from interactive stories andtalking books?

EncyclopaediasOnline encyclopaedias have many advantages compared with paper-based versions (oreven CDs).Wikipedia is a good example. It has easy-to-follow hyperlinks that let you findout what you want to know and more besides.The pages are easy to read with lots oflinks and pictures. It can be updated on a daily basis to take account of things that arehappening right now.

An example of a board game that can be

played online

Example of a company

multimedia website

TALKING POINT 1.2Banks, large stores, entertainment venues andairports are all good places to see multimedia inaction. Discuss the different ways in whichmultimedia is used in each of these locations.

Figure 1.4

An interactive storybook for young children

8Activity 1.1Look at some of the stories in the digital story section on the BBC website.

Some are educational, whilst others are for leisure.

How effective are these stories in conveying a message? How do the storytellers

use still images to get a message across even when it includes action?

8Activity 1.2Visit Wikipedia or another online

encyclopaedia and research a topic you are

interested in. Keep notes about the way in

which multimedia enhances your experience.

Share your findings with the rest of your

group.

8Activity 1.3Investigate other uses for virtual tours. Start by looking at hotels and theme

parks.

Multimedia activity produced by the Smithsonian National Zoological Park

QuizzesMultimedia quizzes can test so much more than a text-based quiz. The user can be askedto view pictures and videos and to listen to sound.

MuseumsModern museums have ‘hands on’ exhibits. These vary from interactive quizzes usingtouch-screen displays to complete simulations that surround you in a ‘virtual reality’experience.

Museums often have websites with lots of extra information.The websites help you planyour day before you visit, or feature interactive activities that help you learn more aboutthe things you have seen.A good example is the award-winning Conservation Central fromthe Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

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Investigating multimedia products 11

Virtual toursEstate agents use multimedia to provide virtual reality tours of houses.These let you ‘walkthrough’ all the rooms interactively and view the interiors from different angles.

Virtual reality

SimulationsMultimedia is used to simulate how things happen, to allow people to practise newtechniques and to see how something might look.

In medicine, multimedia simulations can show how the body works in ways that wouldnot be possible in a book. Other multimedia products allow doctors and medical studentsto practise procedures without endangering real patients and at a relatively low cost.

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Interactive display at The Deep submarium in Hull

This multimedia resource explains heart problems

TALKING POINT 1.4Multimedia simulations are sometimes used to trainpeople to do things where there is an element of risk ifthings go wrong, or that would need lots of expensiveequipment. Try to think of some examples.

Investigating multimedia products

Multimedia in entertainment and leisure

Multimedia and the artsMany artists and musicians use multimedia to showcase their work and make it availableto a wider audience.

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Computer gamesComputer games are very popular multimedia products.They can include anything from‘shoot ’em up’ games or driving simulations to adventures in virtual worlds, such as Myst.

Multimedia games often feature the latest technology as manufacturers have to investheavily in development to maintain sales.You can find games online and on CD and DVD,as well as games designed specifically for games modules such as the Sony PS2.

11As you will have discovered by now, this ActiveBook uses different types of multimediaincluding video, audio, text, animation and images. How did the publishers decide whichtypes to use? What should you consider when designing your own products?

VideoVideo is good for:

showing actiontaking you to different locations helping you to visualise a story or event.

Video is less suitable for:

scenes where there is little or no movementscenes where the action is very quick and hard to capture.t

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TALKING POINT 1.5Choose some computer games and discuss how effective the use of multimedia is.

8Activity 1.4Visit the ART21 and Tate websites to see how multimedia is used to display

the exhibits.

8Activity 1.5Open your ActiveBook and watch this video clip.

Try to decide why video was used rather text or

audio. How well do you think it works?

Multimedia devicesMultimedia is also now commonly found in everyday devices such as mobile phones andMP3 and DVD players. Many people like to be able to carry their media and informationaround with them and ‘portability’ is becoming increasingly important.

Multimedia on the move! Music, photos and video combined in one compact portable device

Features of a multimedia product

AudioAudio is used extensively in multimedia products. Interviews, digital narratives and stories,commentaries and music are some examples. Can you think of any more?

TALKING POINT 1.6It is often said that sound is more important than video in a multimedia product.Do you think that this is always true?

ImagesStill images, such as photographs, aregreat for websites, video, presentationsand simulations.They can be good for:

getting across a message or telling astory, especially if the message has astrong emotional contentcreating a particular mood oratmospherehighlighting key points.

Still images can be linked together tocreate a movie.This is a techniqueoften used by writers ofdocumentaries and one you will findvery useful.

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Stills can have a dramatic impact

Figure 1.21

Figure 1.20

Investigating multimedia products

8Activity 1.6Each of these websites uses

animations to explain complicated

ideas. Select one of them and

explain how the animation helps

the user understand the idea. Think

about how it would be explained

without the animation.

AnimationInteractive or animated graphics are often used on websites.They can be really usefuland informative, especially if you want to explain a complicated idea or show howsomething works.

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TextDespite all that has been said above, text should not be ignored.Text is often the mosteffective way of setting the scene. Used in combination with other types of media, it canbe a powerful way of describing a process.

InteractivityWhen you watch a feature film, you need to watch it from the beginning to the end. Ifyou were to watch the scenes jumbled up it wouldn’t make sense. In many computergames you decide what happens next.This is an example of interactivity.

The pages or screens in a multimediaproduct can be organised in differentways:

Linear – requires the user to viewpages/screens in a pre-set orderHierarchical – provides a numberof different paths for the user tochoose fromCluster – provides most flexibilityby allowing the user to movefreely between all thepages/screens.

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NavigationIf a product is interactive, the user must be able to move around it easily. Navigational aidssuch as buttons and links are an important feature of multimedia products.

ColourThere is no doubt that colour is an essential ingredient in an effective multimedia product.It can be used to:

group similar items togetherdraw attentionemphasise important informationenhance the user experience and create the right impression.

Even white space plays an important part in the design of a screen.

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Other features of a multimedia product

8Activity 1.7Look on the internet for examples of text being used effectively to get a

message across. Compare your findings with others in the group.

8Activity 1.9Look at some multimedia products and try to answer the questions above.

8Activity 1.8Visit the BBC website and compare the navigation with this ActiveBook. Can

you say what type of interactivity each has? Does it depend on where you are

in the product?

EndPage 4Page 3Beginning Page 2

Home

Topic 2 Topic 3Topic 1

Topic 2a Topic 2b Topic 3aTopic 1bTopic 1a

Home

Linear Navigation

HierarchicalNavigation

ClusterNavigation

TALKING POINT 1.7Find different examples of the use of colour and white space for differentpurposes in this ActiveBook. Use the list above to help you.

TALKING POINT 1.8Discuss the effectiveness of the navigational aids in this ActiveBook. Consider howthey look on screen, whether their purpose is clear, and what you might do toimprove them.

Multimedia around youThere is no doubt, then, that you are surrounded by multimedia.Many multimedia products are actually designed for more thanone audience.This is often made possible by using differentmultimedia assets for different screens.

You need to evaluate carefully what works and what does not.When looking at products, keep asking yourself:

What is it for?Who is the product aimed at? Does it target more than oneaudience? Is it really suitable for its target audience(s)? Is it fit forpurpose?Does the multimedia enhance their experience or does itactually detract from it?Which types of multimedia have been used?How effective is the multimedia?What other features have been used?What type of interactivity does it have? Is it the right choicefor the product?

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Multimedia resources aimed at a

variety of users

THE PROJECT is similar to a real Unit 2 SPB but there are two main differences:

You will work on sections of THE PROJECT as you complete each chapter. For the real SPByou will have at least 30 hours to do the whole project in one go.You don’t have to produce a complete project plan for THE PROJECT because you are toldwhen to tackle each section.

Open THE PROJECT and read each of the pages to make sure that you understand what youare being asked to do, especially the requirements for each product.

Look for good examples of the types of product you must produce for THE PROJECT.

Use a copy of this evaluation table to assess each product that you find. Save the tables inyour user area. Could you use any of these features to help you achieve what you havebeen asked to produce?

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1 Tackling THE PROJECT

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Figure 1.27

When I said you shouldinvestigate multimediaproducts, I didn’t meanyou to play computer

games all night!

Start to list your ideas either on paper or using mind-mapping software to help you whenyou come to the design stages. Save this list in your user area.

Create a directory folderAt this point you should create a directory folder structure so that you can organise files asyou create them.This will make it easier to find them when you need them.You willrequire some, but not all, of these files for your eportfolio.You should also be thinkingabout the structure and content of your eportfolio from the outset.

Product: Name:

Author: Source:

Criteria Notes

Target AudienceOne or more?

PurposeWhat is it for?

InteractivityWhat type is it? Do all the buttons work?Does what you expect happen when youclick a button or follow a link?

NavigationWhat aids are used? Can you easily findyour way around?

ContentDoes the product use the media in aneffective way? Is there a good balancebetween text and other media, such asvideo or images?