Design: Web: Multimedia

Some websites use large graphics, animation, video, and sound to draw interest to their school, library, or organization. Unfortunately, these elements can sometimes be overwhelming and distracting. They can also make the page load very slowly. Many websites are now using software packages such as Macromedia Flash and Director to produce high quality images and multimedia projects. Be considerate of your users. Use multimedia to add, not distract from the page.

Sound

Music, speeches, narration, and sound effects can bring a web page alive. There are many ways to incorporate sound into a page. Be sure the sounds attract rather than distract from your content. For example, many pages now start with MIDI music. If you play a ragtime MIDI to go with your early 1900's theme, it makes sense.

GIF Animation

Animation is an easy way to draw interest to your site. Choose animations that contribute to your theme. For example, you might use a rotating globe on your geography page. Try to use only one animation at a time so users don't get overwhelmed.

Avoid animated gifs that don't stop. They can be distracting when reading

Check out a simple animation of the Five Finger Test for reading from Baley Sheaf School. This is an example of an animation that contributes rather than distracts from the page.

QuickTime movies

It's easy to include QuickTime movies in your project; however, this is not always a good idea. QuickTime movies can take a long time to load. It's recommended that you include a series of still pictures instead. Some schools now have "streaming servers" that allow you to send live audio and video through the Internet. Again, check with your network administrator to see if this is a realistic option.

Applets

Applets are small JAVA programs. They can add cool features to your program, but they can also cause problems for users without the newest web browsers.

Data Collection

In some cases, you may wish to collect data from users such as a survey. You can also get users involved with chats, discussions, and other types of online information sharing. ThinkQuest projects often contain polls and surveys. The results are kept in a database and displayed on charts and graphs.

Multimedia

There are some really great websites that combine audio, video, and animation elements.

Software downloads, players, and plugins

Multimedia and hypermedia software can be used to design materials that can be run on the web or downloaded from the Internet.

Many software packages provide an options for saving as a web page. For example, you can save a Word document or PowerPoint presentation as a web page. They can then be viewed on the web without the need for the software.

Go to Common Thread. This site was designed for young people dealing with illness and disabilities. The site is highly interactive with cool graphics, scanned student projects, and places to post ideas, hold threaded discussions, and engage in live chats. A page is provided for users who need help downloading software required on the site.

Go to Multimedia Seeds from Eduscapes for many ideas for integrating audio and video resources.

Read Web Style Guide: Multimedia. Consider the pros and cons of incorporating multimedia elements into your projects.

As you develop multimedia, consider the following types:

• Sound
  
• GIF Animation
  
• Movies
  
• Applets
  
• Data Collection
  
• Software

Learn More

Expand Your Project - multimedia resources

Find Sounds - locate sounds

Media Builder - web tools to design, create, and animate

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