1. Multimedia Application Development Lifecycle
Pooja
GPES, Manesar

2. Lecture Overview Multimedia application development lifecycle
What is the same as in other product dev’t lifecycles
.. And what is different
Individual phases and their characteristics

3. Multimedia application development lifecycle
Most similarities can be found with the software development lifecycle
computers involved – the product itself is software
requirements often vague and unstable
Important differences:
both technical and creative/artistic parts are present, with creative/artistic aspect often more important
special equipment – interface/conversion problems
prototyping is a must

4. Phases conceptualization and planning design and prototyping
production
testing
distribution and follow-up
and (of course) management

5. Management phase 0, because it …
spans all other phases, including activities such as
planning
estimation
control
resource management
documenting

6. Business Plan Defines objectives and means to achieve these objectives
Analyze and define
finances
markets
products
distribution channels
key employees
Develop a business model

7. Project Management
Planning, estimating, monitoring, controlling, and coordinating resources
finances
people
material resources (equipment, tools, materials, ...)
content
in order to achieve the project objective
Most important variables: time, cost, quality

8. Multimedia project management
Traditional project management tasks
Additionally, the manager of a multimedia project must orchestrate different
technologies
persons (with skills and personalities)
resources
in a marketplace that is constantly evolving and changing

9. Project plan
A common document which should help all interested parties to
understand the defined goal
understand the way of attaining the goal
follow the schedule
cooperate with others
use the resources (tools and content) properly

10. Finances
Funding: the process of finding sources of capital to develop your product
Various types of funding:
loans
grants
self-funding
venture capital
But: each has good and bad sides

11. People
Many different specialties are required in each phase of the project
Both technical and artistic specialties are needed
They have different
backgrounds (professional and cultural)
skills and expertise
and, of course, personalities

12. Material resources Different types of resources How to obtain them?
Computer hardware and software
Production equipment
Content (existing and new)
How to obtain them?
Borrow
Lease
Purchase
Make your own

13. Legal issues Securing sources of funding
Licensing content and/or technology
Hiring employees or contractors
Drafting contracts
Purchasing or leasing the necessary equipment, props, office space

14. Phase 1: Conceptualization and Planning
Every multimedia project begins with an idea or concept
The concept and the plan define a project
Planning should make the realization of the concept as straightforward as possible

15. The Kickoff Meeting
Projects often start with a meeting to discuss the project direction and plan
Usually only a group of key players
Serves to create and unite the team
Defines and/or clarifies goals, roles, expectations, and strategies

16. Project Scope What are you making? … … the purpose What is it for? …
… the concept
… the purpose
… the message
… the approach
What are you making? …
What is it for? …
What do you want to say? …
What will be used? …

17. Types of projects Electronic Books and Magazines
Kiosks and Information Centers
Multimedia Databases
Corporate Training
Interactive Education
Interactive Games
Interactive Music
Interactive Movies
Interactive Art and Performance
Interactive Sales and Marketing
Presentations and Communications

18. Target Audience
what is their background (with respect to age, education, gender, …)
what are their preferences (even those prescribed by current fashion)
are there some cultural and other constraints to be observed
what equipment will they use to access your product (environment)

19. The Message
What is the message that you want to convey to your audience
All components of your project must be related to its message
Consistency
Focusing
Creativity
Closely related to the “approach”

20. Market Research First …
Identification:
Is there a target audience at all?
Is there significant competition?
What could be our edge in the marketplace?
Classification
business vs. consumer
early adopters vs. lazy ones

21. … Technical Research Later
Is it technically feasible to create a product that is better, cheaper, more useful than anything else available
Think about:
Delivery media
Installed base
Storage capacity
Speed
Economy

22. Phase 2: Design Bridging the gap between the audience and you
Design should embody concept, purpose, and messages
Technology helps and often is indispensable – but technology alone without the proper design creativity cannot do the trick

23. Design goals Simplicity Consistency User involvement Affordability
Fun, efficiency, timing

24. Simplicity
Multimedia by definition includes user interaction and exploration
Note: prettiest designs may not be the simplest, nor the easiest to use
Good interaction design should instill a desire to go on and find out more
However, efficiency is always an issue

25. Consistency
Primarily related to user interface (we will have more to say about this)
A good product should behave in a consistent manner
Consistency reduces learning time and reduces chances for surprise, even with functions you have never used before
Increased familiarity translates into increased productivity

26. User involvement Most people like to get “involved”
Adding a human dimension to the communication with a mindless machine
People enjoy exploring and discovering new paths – reward curiosity by designing depth
Allow users to explore more than one level of information – but only if they explicitly choose to do so

27. Affordability Analyze what the users from the target group can afford
Different audience segments have different amounts they are willing to spend on a given product
Design goal: accommodate as much as possible within a given price range

28. Other qualities
some applications can be fun to use (but each user can have his or her own definition of what exactly is “fun”)
user comprehension has its own pace – try to be neither too fast, nor too slow
performance is always an issue: but this is predominantly a technical problem

29. Shaping the Design Often begins with a brainstorming session
a dynamic process of gathering ideas and exploring possibilities without judgement or constraint
A good brainstorming session results in a collection of ideas and solutions that become the foundation for both the design and the prototype developed from it

30. Storyboard
An illustrated scene-by-scene plan for telling a story: represents actions, images and narration unfolding over time
Each significant frame is described in (some) detail, the actors are outlined, and their important actions are spelled out
Storyboard may be considered to be a specification of the prototype (and, ultimately, the product itself)

31. Information Design
How to organize and present information in a clear, accurate, meaningful and useful form
Includes the information in all media and their visual interaction (to an extent)

32. Phase 3: Prototyping A limited implementation of a design
Emphasizes exploration and experimentation
Prototyping helps simplify and improve production process
Often used as proof-of-concept and/or testing purposes
Multimedia applications must be prototyped

33. Product Specifications
A complete list of features that covers structure and behavior of the product should emerge from the prototyping phase
In multimedia, this means type and amount of content, interface characteristics, and interaction

34. Phase 4: Production Organizing people and resources
Providing and producing content – text, graphics, videos, sound, animation, VR
Integrating all of the above into a meaningful, coherent product
Details of production related to different media types will be covered in a separate lecture

35. Organizing the Production Schedule
Specification of all the tasks and their interdependencies in sufficient detail
Estimates should be made for each task (i.e., time and effort / manpower)
Appropriate resources should be allocated
A number of milestones has to be established
Main project goals must be established
Deliverables: the product itself, documentation and additional materials

36. Organizing People
Responsibilities and roles should be clearly delineated and defined
Some people may take on different roles (well-defined tasks are a must)
Professional services should be used whenever possible (at a cost)
Remember: quality obtained is always proportional to investment made

37. Organizing Production Resources
Organizing resources: define what is required and a schedule of its usage
Equipment selection: based on the project script and on the actual shooting location
Major equipment has its own schedule, with each major piece assigned to a person
Compatibility issues must be resolved

38. Source Materials
Source: any items containing media data that can be used in our product
Production can involve
creating new source materials,
converting (re-purposing) existing materials,
or (most often) both
Source materials must be indexed and kept in order (do not delete anything, never)

39. Selecting the Right Tools
Most important criteria:
Whether the production artists are familiar with the tool(s) selected
Whether the format used by the tool is compatible with other tools
Availability and cost may be important for small projects: in large projects, the cost is never a big part of the overall budget
Features to look for in an authoring tool:
ease of use
interface tools
transitions
navigation
search engines
media support
cross-platform capabilities
playback environment
development tools
efficiency
scripting language
logistic management tools

40. Production Integration
Integrating content elements: usually the responsibility of programmer(s)
Project manager must overview integration
Project manager should make sure that no content is forgotten or missing
Problems of all types tend to multiply as the delivery time is approaching

41. Style guide
Necessary in order to create a product with a sense of integrity and unity
Use of punctuation, grammatical conventions, use of jargons
Samples, illustrations and templates for graphical layout
Graphics production: standards used, layout templates
Video production
Sound production
Conducting and attending production meetings

42. Documentation
Different types of documentation may be needed, depending on the project
Both size and scope depend on the project and its intended audience
Mass audience requires the documentation to be as simple as possible, together with additional materials (getting started, tutorials, … )
Narrow, well-educated audience require in-depth coverage, description of more sophisticated functions
Internet helps…

43. Phase 5: Testing Walking in user's shoes – before the user does so
Main questions
When to test
What to test
How to test
When to stop testing
But the crucial question is: can testing give us complete confidence in the product?

44. More on testing
Different types of testing: functional, content testing, collateral materials testing, user testing
Different timing: alpha, beta, user testing
Test plan with relevant information on
schedule
resources
testing environment
deliverables

45. Phase 6: Distribution Activities related to:
Preparation and duplication of physical media
Choosing distribution options and channels
Marketing
Sales

46. Options and Channels Publishers Affiliated label program
Self-publishing
Mail order catalogs
Distributors
Retailers
Education and government markets
Content-specific stores
Direct mail
Bundling

47. Marketing Public relations – press releases, press kits, trade shows
Promotions
Advertising
Meetings, presentations and negotiations
Sales calls
Product demonstrations

48. Phase 7: Follow-up Development wrap-up Maintenance Training
Documentation
Customer relations
Pursuing additional opportunities

49. Development Wrap-up
To determine the actual schedule and costs and compare them against the original estimates
To find out ways in which the process (and subsequent products) could be improved
In other words: how we did it, and what have we learned by doing it (that coul dhelp us fare better next time)

50. Customer Support
Providing assistance to customers and clients in response to specific problems and inquiries
Internet helps here as well …
Main activities:
maintenance
training
Multimedia titles generally need little support

51. Maintenance Classification
Maintenance: managing the operation and use of a product once it has gone into distribution
Different classifications possible
according to strategy (preventive vs. defensive)
according to type of changes introduced (corrective, perfective, or adaptive)

52. Training
Teaching and educating an audience about the purpose and use of a product
Training equips users to be self-sufficient with a product – reduces users’ need for support
Consequently, training should reduce the cost of supporting the product

53. User Feedback (What do they think of us?)
mail-back registration cards
online customer comment forms
direct customer contact (e.g., by phone or )
press reviews, and
sales statistics

54. Pursuing additional opportunities
Some products are suitable for organizing user groups – some are not:
Oracle user group makes sense
Encarta user group does not (why?)
New versions or upgrades
Reuse of the content material in a different publishing medium
Creation of companion products