Creating a commercial multimedia title involves many people working with specialist software over a long period of time. An expensive task such as this takes a lot of careful planning.
There are four major stages in any project development: - defining and analysing the problem
- designing possible solutions
- producing solutions
- evaluation.
Even when developing a small-scale project as part of a course at school, it is important not to rush any of these stages and to carefully plan the resources allocated for each stage to make sure that the project can be finished.
1. Defining and Analysing the problem - Stating a clear goal and purpose
- Identify End User Needs and Target Audience
- What resources?
2. Designing Possible Solutions - Use storyboarding and a prototype to complete an outline of the concept of the project.
- The team meets to discuss the project and decide on a timeline.
- At this stage, many of the designs and plans exist only on paper. The editors begin to research content and the designers begin to experiment with screen layouts.
1) GUI Design -- We have already talked about the importance of a clear and logical interface. One of the challenges is to offer the user an enjoyable experience with as much control of their multimedia environment as possible.
- Following good GUI Design principles. Keep the following in mind:
- Consistency : design within each screen and with other applications
- Manipulation : User in charge of their actions
- See and point: Actions and Navigation should be obvious
- Feedback: Screen responses to user actions taken
- Forgiveness: users can undo or recover from mistakes
- Aesthetics: Designs should be appealing to users
- Functionality: should be clear - navigation and icons
- Voice: Is product written from first person or third person perspective
2) Storyboards and Navigation
A storyboard is a map or plan of the final product. It represents each screen, each screen element, their placement and the links between them. These links are usually shown as arrows, indicating the direction of travel.
3) Scripts A script can be a written description of the content of a multimedia title, or it may be presented in storyboard form, or both. Often it is produced before any actual content has been created. A script allows a team of designers to form the same vision of what a final product will look like.
The script may record the dialogue to be heard or describe the actions of actors, as well as describe other content, such as visuals and interactivity.
4) Content for the multimedia products
Each of the five data types are created or acquired in different ways.
Copyright is an important issue here. Data or programming code must not be stolen, and even if permission is granted for its use, the original authors must be credited with its creation. To ignore this is really stealing another person’s ideas, creativity and intellectual effort.
3. Producing solutions - Manipulating -
- All five data types may be edited, and there is appropriate software for each.
- In this fourth stage, the designers assemble the separate resources into a working product, using multimedia programming and/or authoring software to create the final title.
- Storing
- Data for multimedia can occupy large amounts of storage space on a hard drive.
- Displaying and distributing
- Professional multimedia design studios make great use of networked computers and centralised servers to store the required data.
4. Evaluation
Testing begins by making sure that the designer knows how the target audience will react to the project. The development team tests the project first, followed by the users. It is important for users to explore the project without interference.
Reporting on the project
The last stage involves the design team completing their documentation on all stages of project development so that new designers understand the decision-making process. This stage also involves technical writers writing user manuals and implementation manuals.
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