Development and Design of
Multimedia
Planning Your Title
1) Develop the concept or idea – a
multimedia project starts with an idea
that supports a vision
2) State the purpose (goals and objectives)
– what do you want to accomplish?
3) Identify the target audience – who will
use the title?
Planning the Title
4) Determine the treatment – how the title
will be presented to the user
5) Develop the specifications – what does
the title include and does it work?
6) Storyboard and Navigation – what do the
screens look like and how are they
linked?
7) Develop the content – create the pieces
Planning the Title
8) Author the title – bring it all together
9) Test the title – does it work the way it
was designed to?
Storyboard Example
Image: scanned from Multimedia Concepts – James Shuman
Navigation Example
Image: scanned from Multimedia Concepts – James Shuman
Sequential Navigation Scheme
Image: scanned from Multimedia Concepts – James Shuman
Topical Navigation Scheme
Image: scanned from Multimedia Concepts – James Shuman
Basic Design Principles
Appearance
Objects: heading, text, graphics,
navigation buttons
Consistency of each screen
Multimedia Design Principles
Balance
Balance – distribution of
optical weight in the
layout
Optical weight – ability
of an element to attract
the user’s eye
Multimedia Design Principles
Balance
Symmetrical balance – arranging the
elements as horizontal or vertical mirrored
images on both sides of a center line
Asymmetrical balance – arranging nonidentical elements on both sides of a
center line
No balance – elements arranged on the
screen without regard to the weight on
both sides of the center line
Balanced Layout
Image: scanned from Multimedia Concepts – James Shuman
Asymmetrical Design
Image: scanned from Multimedia Concepts – James Shuman
Multimedia Design Principles
Unity
Unity – a design goal achieved by
maintaining consistency in shapes, colors,
text styles, and themes


Intra-screen unity – how the various screen
elements relate - do they all fit in?
Inter-screen unity – the interactive design that
users encounter as they navigate from one
screen to another
Unity in Design
Image: scanned from Multimedia Concepts – James Shuman
Multimedia Design Principles
Movement
Movement – how the
user’s eye moves through
the elements on the
screen

Optical center – a point
somewhat above the
physical center of the
screen
Designing For Interactivity
Three things effect the Interactive design
of the title
1)
2)
3)
Audience
Type of title
Content
Guidelines for Interactive
Design
Make it simple, easy to understand and
use
Build in consistency
Use design templates
Provide feedback
Provide choices and escapes
Tips on Designing Multimedia for
the Web
1) Users should be able to display any page within 3 to 5 clicks
of the mouse button and return to the home page in one click
2) Navigation options should be clearly labeled
3) Text links should be color-coded
4) A site map that list and provides links to major topical areas is
a quick reference for the viewer
5) A search feature is a useful tool for finding desired information
The End
University of North Texas
Dr. Vicky Cereijo