Multimedia Principles - Amy Herron

For this assignment I have asked to research the Principles of Multimedia, what multimedia is, the different tends and future developments and how they are used within society today. Within this document I will discuss the mentioned topics.

What is Multimedia?

Multimedia is the term that is used to describe the different combinations of media that are within the a Multimedia product. This combination will include; Images, text, animation and audio sound that go into the devices such as DVDs and CDs. It also comes in the form of E-learning as well. These devices allow a person to access services

Principles of Multimedia

In Multimedia there are 12 principles in total. These 12 principles are what makes up aspects of multimedia and they are;

1. Coherence Principle -  People learn better when extra words, images, sound or videos are not used to explain a topic. This means that when people learn, they are understand the easier if the work or information has an even amount of images and text is laid out correctly.
   

   
2. Signalling Principle -  In this people find it easier to learn when the clues for finding information are highlighted. This can be done using headings, menu’s, bullet points or having the clues set out clearly and therefore it means that users will understand what is being handed out if the hints and clues are properly set out on a page.
3. Redundancy Principle – People find it better to learn when there is graphics on the page while someone reads the text on the page rather than there being text on the screen. Using this means that people are more conformable learning when they can see the graphics on screen and watch, for example when someone giving a presentation people will look at the visuals on screen and listen as someone reads the information to them.
4. Spatial Contiguity Principle – People learn better with graphics that have the words that relate to the image below it to say what the image is rather than the text being far away from the image. Having graphics with text below them as a caption helps to tell people what the image is relating too and therefore it is easier understood because the text that is relevant to where the image is on the page.
5. Temporal Contiguity Principle – People learn better when the words and graphics are placed together on a page rather than have each image and then the related word appear one after the other. With Temporal Contiguity Principle the graphics placed simultaneously together such as in a table with all images next to each other allows there to be a group of images altogether.  
6. Segmenting Principle – People learn better from using multimedia when the lesion is broken down into different segments rather than one continuous lesion so that the user can learn at their own speed. When it comes to multimedia lesions it would be harder to learn without breaking down each lesion into sections as mentioned as doing this will not only allow for the person to work at his or her own pace but also it means that the person will have a clearer understanding of the tasks given to them and how to set out there tasks properly.
7. Pre-training Principle – People learn from multimedia better when they have an idea of the different concepts before they start the lesion so they know what is to be expected. Knowing what would be covered before starting to learn about the different aspects of multimedia is helpful when it comes to covering the different topics excepted.
8. Modality Principle -  People learn better from images and narration on screen rather than animation and text on screen. Therefore using sound or animations does not always help when it comes to learning in multimedia as some prefer to  work off text such as using a simple guide of images and text based documents because animations can become distracting.
9. Multimedia Principle – People learn better from using a range of images and text rather than reading text on it’s own. This principle means that they prefer too work using text while also incorporating the usage of images or videos to help explain or understand what is being said.
10.  Personalisation Principle – People learn from multimedia lesions better when the information given is written or spoken in an informal rather than a formal way. The way we speak can have a huge impact on what the people reading
11.  Voice Principle – People learn better when the person speaking has a human and more friendly voice rather than them having a machine and robotic like voice that has no emotion.
12.  Image Principle – People do not learn better during a multimedia lesion when they can see the person speaking on-screen because it can be distracting and would look at the person more than looking at the lesion being taught.
    

    

Where Multimedia is used

Interactive multimedia products come in many different forms and are used in a number of different areas which include Interactive Websites, CD Roms, DVDs, KIOSKS and interactive games and it means that these types of multimedia products are used within Training/Education, Marketing and sales, Entertainment, Business and Promotion of products.

Interactive CD ROMs/DVD ROMS

In multimedia CD ROMs and DVD’s are used for Educational/Training purposes for helping children learn how something works or to help a person learn how to use software. An example of this can be through your driving test that can be done on the PC using a CD ROM/DVD ROM to help improve a persons skills.

When in businesses Interactive Multimedia CDs can be used too help promote different products just as interactive learning applications.

Advantages of Interactive CD ROMS/DVD ROMS

·        Interactive CD roms allow for educational training on how to use software and have tutorials on them.

·        References for CD Roms can be stored on CD’s such as bibliography’s, books, or even

·        Training can be done through the use of CDs/DVDs such as practicing for your driving test. Also this means more people will use CDs/DVD’s to train and learn.

·        Cost – Using CD’s/DVD’s help benefited in cost, this means businesses can hand out copies of CDs/DVDs and it will not cost a lot of money to produce these.

·        CD’s/DVD’s can be used anywhere other than a computer such as in games console or DVD player.

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Disadvantages of Interactive CD ROMS/DVDS

·        CDs and DVD’s normally are not sold in the present and most games can games or tutorials can be sourced online, then downloaded for free meaning that people do not go out to buy these.

·        Information stored on CD’s and DVDs take up a lot of space on a disc meaning that more than one may be used to store information.

·        Not compatible – Older CD’s and DVDs may not be compatible with older systems such as DVD players or Operating systems on a computer. For example an old game built for Windows XP or Windows Vista may not be compatible with Windows 8 or Windows 10, This means that if any information stored cannot be exported to a new system via the CD or installed if it were a game.

·        Break easily – CD’s and DVDS can break easily if they are snapped in two or they can be scratched on the surface: this can happen through the CD drive or by someone leaving it outside of the CD/DVD cover, resulting in the ROM not being able to be read.

Interactive TVS

In our world today the use of TV’s has evolved over the years. Most TV’s now are interactive. This means that you can use your hands to click on a channel or area of the screen you want to view, these types of TVs use motion sensors or are voice coordinated which means that they use speech or movement of a person to perform a task unlike using a TV remote where you had to manually press a button to switch channels. There are TVs out there on the market called Smart TVs which are interactive and are connected to the internet through the use of a router and Wi-Fi connection, these allow you to use the internet through the TV rather than get up and turn on a PC or computer device.

Advantages of Interactive TVs

·        Offers more channels and a range of things to choose from.

·        Images, sound, video and play back quality of newer TVs in this generation have sharper quality than old TVs.

·        Interactive services are out there for TVs such as Smart TVs, especially if the device is connected to the broadband or network.

Disadvantages of Interactive TVS

·        Cost – Interactive TVs cost a lot of money to buy in retailors or electronics shops. This is because of the quality and services offered and people may not buy the product.

·        Poor design/interface – This can have a big impact on people who have never used an Interactive TV before and can cause confusion. Leading to people not wanting to buy them, also the interface on the TVs can be complex and hard to navigate through for the first time.

Kiosks

     Kiosks are a device that is usually a free-information source that allows a user to interactive with it to get specific information. It is a database designed to hold information about certain things. There are two types of Kiosks; Public and In-store.

Public Kiosks are used within shops like tourist information, Argos, travel agencies, truck shops, airports and various places. This type has information on products or services provided in the place it is set up and helps a user search for the information required. Also in sales a public kiosk is used to help with the purchasing of products.

Advantages – Public Kiosks

·        Using Kiosks mean that when purchasing something the online internet security is protected meaning no one can hack them.

·        Allows a customer to have control over what they are ordering within a sales environment and allows them to see the details on products.

·        Helps the user understand what is being displayed when a message appears.

Disadvantages

·        They may be in use when it comes to busy shops when one is needed to be used.

·        It takes a while to be setup properly in-stores and can take a while to get used too.

Bibliography – Images

Darren Warnock, (2015), Multimedia Gif [ONLINE]. Available at:https://darrenwarnockcommunicationdesign.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/multimedia.gif [Accessed 09 March 16].

Coneyhame, (2011), Principles of Multimedia [ONLINE]. Available at:http://www.slideshare.net/Coneyhame/principles-of-multimedia-7977091 [Accessed 17 February 16]

Creative MediaWorks, Inc., (2016), Interactive CD-ROM/USB Drive vs. Video DVD [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.creativemediaworks.com/images/CD-DVD-USB_Graphic.jpg [Accessed 09 March 16].

BBC, (2011), Interactive TV Screen [ONLINE]. Available at:http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/52067000/jpg/_52067862_tvscreen.jpg [Accessed 09 March 16].

Houston Airport, (2014), apc-kiosks [ONLINE]. Available at:https://internationalhouston.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/apc-kiosks-2.jpg [Accessed 09 March 16].