Students learn how to combine various media (sound, text, still and motion pictures) and a variety of software to create interactive works such as web pages and DVDs. Interactive multimedia is used for education, entertainment, information dissemination, and creative self-expression.
Two hours lecture and three hours lab per week.
- Hypermedia fundamentals
- Structuring information with clarity
- Eliciting a response from the viewer
- Accounting fully for the user interaction
- Providing a rich and effective experience
- User interface fundamentals
- Human-machine interaction standards and techniques
- Interface modifications and adaptive devices for disabled users
- Interface building principles
- Interface building toolkits
- Computer programming fundamentals
- Language "levels" and trade-offs
- Programming tools and environments
- Styles and methods of software development
- Basic building blocks, commands and data structures.
- Digital media fundamentals
- Text
- Raster graphics
- Vector graphics
- 3D rendered VR graphics
- 3D models
- Audio
- Video
- Authoring program features
- Information parceling model (frames, cards, pages, tracks, etc.)
- Programming model and development toolkits
- Media acquisition
- Project overview
- Timing and sequencing
- Asset management
- Internal asset editing
- External asset editing
- User interface appearance styles
- Tracing and debugging facilities
- Data compression and optimization
- Security and encryption
- Networking and communications
- Runtime environments and other packaging options
- Delivery issues
- Network types
- Distribution media types
- Playback hardware and software requirements
- Cross-media development: opportunities and constraints
- Data formats: standard vs. proprietary, patent-encumbered vs. open-source
- Intellectual property and Digital Rights Management issues
- Demonstration projects and case studies, such as:
- Interactive directory
- Online help
- Arcade-style game
- Public space kiosk
- E-commerce interface
- Non-linear interface to video narrative
- Quality assurance
- Workflow maintenance principles
- Collaboration and version-control tools
- Usability testing
- Compatibility testing
Students successful in this class will:
- Plan and implement interactive artwork, taking into account the requirements of human-computer interaction.
- Convey documentary information and fictional scenarios using multi-layered narrative techniques.
- Analyze media elements for their effectiveness in communicating subject matter visually and aurally.
- Compare and contrast different programming approaches.
- Accurately document the operation of the software created in class, enabling new users to operate it successfully.
