DT GCSE

Prototype

A model of a system being developed it may not be fully functional

Evolutionary Prototype

A prototype that is reviewed and improved and eventually forms the final solution

Throwaway prototype

A prototype that does not become part of the final solution

Advantages of prototyping

Increased end user involvement so the product is more likely to meet the end user needs

Problem detected early=reduces cost of correction

Disadvantages of prototyping

Not suited on all applications

End user involvement may lead to constantly changing requirements

User requirements document

Numbered list of the requirements/details of what the end users expects the system todo

Target audience

The demographic group for whom the application is being developed

User interface

Any part of the system that the user can interact with; data capture forms, menus,buttons

Navigational structure diagram

A diagram that illustrates the various pathways a user can take through a multimedia application

Storyboard

A diagrammatic illustration showing the content and layout of individual pages in a multimedia application

Image resources

Details of any graphic elements to be incorporated into an application in the form of file names, web location or a description of the image if it is created by the developer

Third party implementation

The creation of a product by someone other than the original designer

Scripted elements

Extracts of code, often included as part of an HTML document, that, when activated, can allow the end user to interact with the application and amend the contents being displayed

Interactive elements

Elements in a package that prompt interaction from the end user

Movie Timeline

A diagrammatic representation that shows the content of a movie, frame by frame

What should a movie timeline include

Details of special effects/transitions and sound + the content and length of individual scenes

data dictionary

A file containing details relating to the structure of data held in a database.

attribute

The heading given to each item of data stored about a single database entity

Wireframe

A tool used to show the layout of input and output screens in a digital application

What do wireframes include

-details of the on screen layout

-position of each element on the form/report and font size,colour,font

Entity Relationship Diagram

A diagram used to illustrate how various entities are linked together

Relationships

One-one

One-many

Many-many

GUI

Graphical User Interface

GUI description

Allows interactions though the selection of on screen options and through the use of a WIMP environment

WIMP

Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers

GUI advantages

Intuitive to use-icons familiar

Do not need technical elements of a computer to use

Short cuts can be created by experiences users

GUI disadvantages

Additional RAM, processing power, storage often required

Powerful graphics required

Restrictive for experienced users

Natural language interfaces

a means of interacting with digital technology using everyday language either spoken or typed

Natural language interfaces advantages

No need to learn specialised commands

Suitable for users with limited mobility

Support hands free interaction

Natural language interfaces disadvantages

Takes time to train users voice

Applications may not respond to all voices

Limited command bank

Motion tracking interface

Use sensors or optical methods that converts movement into digital signals for input to a digital device

Motion tracking interface devices for input

Cameras

Reflected markers

Sensors

LEDs to help track motion

Motion tracking interface advantages

Make interaction more realistic

Allow inexperienced users to interact with the application

Support users with issues to fine motor skills

Motion tracking interface disadvantages

New technology so not widely available

Expensive

Touchscreen

Interactions can be through the use of stylus or direct connection with screen using fingers

Touchscreen advantages

Onscreen keyboards can be included to help improve portability

Intuitive to use

Touchscreen disadvantages

Damaged easily

Small screens making hard to interaction with icons

Difficult for visually impaired users

W3C

World Wide Web Consortium

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)

A standards organisation whose focus is on ensuring accessibility of digital applications

Accessibility settings

On screen magnifiers

Text narrators

Ability to alter sensitivity on touchpad

Cross platform application

An application designed to operate successfully on more than one platform

Plug-in

Software that adds functionality to an application once installed

PDF

Portable Document Format

A piece of software that supports presentation of text, graphic, hyperlinks on a range of platforms

Optimisation

Files are compressed to facilitate storage

optimised

Code that uses the minimum of resources during operation and that is efficient in terms of speed of operation

Compression

The reduction of file size through the removal of unnecessary data

optimised video file formats

Flash video(.flv)

AVI (.avi)

QuickTime (.mov)

MP4 (.mp4)

Optimised image file formats

JPEG

GIF

TIFF(.tif)

PNG

optimised sound file formats

MP3

WAV (supported by most browsers although is not compressed)

Multimedia features

The use of text and images to enhance application content

Stored video / sound files

Live sound /video streaming

Interactive sound/ video eg through video conferencing or VoIP

Interactive features

- Virtual tours or 3D interactive displays

- Live interactive video chats

- Hyperlinks to other pages or websites

- Twitter feeds and memes

- Playing multimedia elements

- Thumbnail and/or roll over images

- Form fillings and option selection

Multimedia and Interactivity in e-commerce

Product reviews posted by customers

Product tracking

Secure payments

Push technology send customer alerts

Multimedia and Interactivity in e-commerce Advantages

Customers able to see others views on products

Stock levels can be checked before ordering + track orders online

Alerts can be sent to customers via pop-ups or email

Multimedia and Interactivity in e-commerce Disadvantages

Constant alerts can be annoying

Review posting may be limited - word length

Not all sellers provide tracking data

Multimedia and Interactivity in social media

User profiles

Live streaming + chat clients (chat clients= application that supports real time chat between participants)

Call to action buttons

Creation of virtual communities - a group of individuals who communicate in an online forum

Multimedia and Interactivity in social media advantages

Live streaming new and exciting way to share new ideas

User generated content creates a feeling of connectivity

Wider audience available for promotion of events/products

Multimedia and Interactivity in social media disadvantages

Can be a forum for abuse and can be intrusive and distracting if not properly managed

Location posting can compromise the safety of the user

Caution should be exercised when revealing personal details

Multimedia and Interactivity in gaming

Various forms of audio and visual feedback and input -eg screen character movement in response to user input or audio input and output.

3D interaction with gaming application through the use of sensors and virtual reality interactions

Customising settings and characters to help personalise gaming experience

Multimedia and Interactivity in gaming advantages

Increased interactivity came enhance the gaming experience

Provision of immediate feedback encourages alertness and improves attention to game play

Ability to adjust setting and characters help personalise the game

Multimedia and Interactivity in gaming Disadvantages

Incorporating high quality multimedia elements increase's storage demands

Online gaming applications the user is dependent upon a reliable telecommunications link

Demands on processing elements and hardware devices increase

Multimedia and Interactivity in generic applications advantages

Push technology allows application managers to present their message to users at any time from any location

Interfaces tend to be intuitive and therefore appeal to a wider audience

Content on multimedia application can be updated easily and made available to all users quickly

Multimedia and Interactivity in generic applications disadvantages

Some users find messages from push technology to be intrusive

May find cost of the specialised hardware required to be prohibitive

Multimedia applications demand increased processing power, memory and storage

Multimedia Authoring

The development of any application that uses a range of media types to present information.

Makes use of hypertext and hyper media and scripted elements to support non-linear user progression through the application

Hypertext

Refers to the use of text to provide lines to related content

Hypermedia

Refers to the use of multimedia elements to provide links to related content

multimedia authoring software

Provide users with a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment to support visual development of the application using drag and drop tools

Multimedia Authoring Applications features

Template provision- to help ensure consistency of presentation across all pages in the application

Content management- to support organisation and location of content during the development stages.

Form tools- hyperlinks hotspots and wizards

Advantages of using a web authoring application

-Very little technical or programming knowledge is required

-Has an intuitive interface

-Links can automatically update when content is moved around

Disadvantages of using a web authoring application

- limited functionality, some coding may be needed if complex interactions are required

- templates can restrict development and lead to unoriginal developments

Displays words in the tab for the browser window displaying in the web page

Heading style

Largest text size

smallest heading (text size)

Defines a section (division) so styles can be applied to specific sections of a page only

paragraph

Bold

italics

Underline

Creates a line break in the middle of a paragraph

Does not need paired with an opening tag

displays an image in a web page

Adds audio to the web page

Allows you to insert fallback text

Fall back text means:

An error message in the event that a file cannot be played by the browser

Inserts video for automatic play back to be viewed in the internet explorer.

Creates a table

table row

table header

table data (cell)

ordered list

Can be numbered, lower or upper case letters, Roman numerals and upper case Roman numerals

"1" "a" "A" "i" "I"

unordered list

Can be-

Bullet points (disc)

Circle or square or none

Any comments the developer needs beside the code can be placed here and won't be displayed in the browser

Displays a text based hyperlink

User clicks on the words (depending on what they are) to visit the website

Advantages of using HTML to create a multimedia solution

*Most developers are familiar with HTML

*It is supported by all browsers

*It is free and no additional software is needed.

Disadvantages of using HTML to create a multimedia solution

Updating links can be difficult if content is not magnates effectively

Can only crest static pages is a dynamic page is required then additional script (eg java script )is needed

Many lines of script needed for even the most basic pages

Reminder In HTML colour is spelt "color "

Static web pages

Pages that are presented to the user in the form that they were created. They tend to end with the extension .htm or .html

Dynamic Web Page

Pages where the presentation can be changed by a users interactions with the application

They tend to end with the extensions .php , .asp or .jsp

CSS

Cascading Style Sheets; a language used to describe how HTML elements should be styled

Javascript

Used to improve interactivity of multimedia applications

Can in incorporated into html by :

tags

Using .js file extension to link external files containing the script

Placing script in the head section of html then activating the script from the within the section

Sequencing

Lines of code are designed to run after another

Selection

Only some lines of code run only if certain conditions are met

Repetition

Causes lines of code to be executed again and again either a specific number of times until a condition is met or while a condition is met