Multimedia and Web Design

Multimedia and Web Design go hand in hand. They complement eachother in the way that with the use of multimedia products and ideas the design of a web site becomes more appealing and creates more interest in the product or idea therein. Through the use of incorporating multimedia in web design the industry has made the web more than just a visual stimulator. It appeals using sounds as well.

The use of Flash in a site can greatly improve or hinder a users experience. If a viewer does not have the bandwidth the site can be slow and hard to use. That is something to consider when using Flash. It is always good to create an alternate option for those who do not have a Flash player or who do not have the ability to easily download and view images or other multi-media content.

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1. What is meant by the term multimedia?

Multimedia means that the information is being delivered with more than one medium at a time.

2. How does a broadband internet connection differ from a dial-up modem?

The difference is that the connection speed of broadband is more than 2 times of that of dial-up with download times for sites, pictures etc. at more than half the time of dial-up. Dial-up also uses a phone line or analog signal where broadband can use cable connections allowing more bandwidth.

3. What are the four types of broadband connections and how do they compare?

CABLE	Most popular with DSL, Connection speed is 3,000,000 bps	Download time is 3 seconds.
DSL	Most popular with cable, Connection speed is 1,500,000 bps	Download time is 5.6 seconds.
SATELLITE	500,000 bps	16 seconds
WIRELESS	11,000,000 bps An up and coming technology because of the use of mobile web accessible devices such as cell phones and PDA's.	0.8 seconds

4. What is a MIDI file and why shouldn't you use it on the web?

MIDI means musical instrument digital interface. It provides instructions for your computer to play digital music.

5. What is streaming media?

It is the concept that the media files (music or video) are broken down and processed just in time for your computer to put it in place.

6. What is Micromedia Flash?

It is a software that allows the animation of web parts.

7. What is the Flash Player?

The Flash player is a free download that enables the computer to show the Flash files.

8. What does it mean for a website to be interactive?

It means that the web site can 'do' something. This can be play a game, show a video, play music, or simply show animated objects.

9. What good is a Flash intro, and why should you enable users to skip it?

The intro is the "hook" that draws people to the site. It is good to enable the skip feature for those frequent users who do not want to wait through the intro.

10. What is a loader, and why should you use one?

It keeps the site user informed that the site is loading. Sometimes there are just a scroll bar, sometimes there is as much as a slide show.

11. As a web designer, why is it important to learn programming?

It will broaden the skill set and allow the creator more flexibility in designing certain features that they may want to change a bit without being able to do so in the software interface.

12. What are two tools you can use to create online games?

Flash games and java games are two tools that can be used to create online games.

13. What does 3D have to do with the Web?

It increases the web site, or game experience by making it more appealing and realistic. It is a very difficult field because of the dedication and talent it takes to create these programs.

14. What can you imagine for the future of web design?

I imagine that the future of the web will be a speech enabled software so that beginners can simply say what they want to happen and the software can work it's magic and do simple ideas for them.