•  
  • user changes the outcome
• control
  • users are in control
  • sound - volume
  • linear vs. nonlinear navigation
• feedback
  • user can submit comments
  • communication/conversation
  • email,blog
  • can others participate?
• "Place"
  • location?
  • pulling user into environment
  • virtual settings
• collaboration
  • user is parcipating in end result

• Design control
  • Flash movies (SWF files can be integrated directly into any Web page
    • Designer can specify the width and height of the Flash movie before exporting it - so flash content can appear inside a tiny rectangle or fill the entire page
    • The SWF file can be positioned exactly anywhere on the page
    • It's easy to combine text and other normal HTML elements with a SWF on a web page
      • By matching the background color of the Flash movie to the background color of the web page, the designer can make the movie appear to be part of the page
      • Flash movies can be opened in a separate pop-up window
  • Designer also has precise control over the position of all elements within the Flash movie
    • The user's browser settings and operating system have no effect on the appearance of any object in the Flash movie (unless the author hasn't embedded the fonts) so long as the user's Flash player version is compatible with all assets included in the SWF

• Integration of media types
  • The designer or author of a Flash movie can incorporate numerous assets of various media types into one package that functions as a single piece
    • Instead of having separate windows pop up to show video, maps, photo galleries, or text, all these elements can be combined into a single interface, in a single frame
    • Eliminate the need for separate windows, players, and plug-ins

• Interactivity
  • Designers can create elaborate (or simple) custom interfaces for Flash movies, with buttons, sliders, and other controls that match the tone and style of the content package.
    • Controls can easily be coded for sound so that particular actions by the user produce audible feedback
    • All manner of images can become responsive to the mouse cursor
      • Hot spots  - sometimes text information displays when mouse is over certain spot
    • Icons or other graphics can be made draggable, so a user can position them on a diagram, or operate a lever or dial on a machine
      • Users can even draw or paint within Flash and save their creations in the application for others to see
  • Form fields can be used in Flash to allow the user to send information to the SWF or to a database via the Internet
    • ActionScript can be used to store information about the user's choices and direct the Flash movie to react according to what the user has (or has not) done

• Look ma - no scrolling
  • Elements can be layered in Flash to appear on top of previous elements, or new elements can replace previous elements in the same place, at the same screen coordinates, without going to a new Web page
    • Flash content can be created without the need for scrolling or paging
    • Designer can choose to implement a page metaphor or to use scrolling for contained elements within the movie

• Modularity
  • An author with moderate experience can construct sets of Flash movies that communicate with one another, further decreasing file size and sparing users from waiting for content they may no chose to view
    • Unlimited SWFs can be loaded into one base, or "shell," SWF that calls the others in as needed
      • loadMovie
  • Other external files, such as MP3s, and JPEGs, can also be called into the Flash movie dynamically
    • loadMovie or loadSound
    • This capability makes it possible for editors and producers who know nothing about Flash programming to create content that is used in a Flash movie, if they are given instructions about how to name their files

• Motion
  • Flash was already well known as an efficient tool for delivering animation online
    • Vector graphics can be moved, scaled, and skewed without any notable increase in file size
      • Can use Flash to pan across a still photo, focus on a detail and then zoom out, and to add drama and engage the users' attention in a feature story
  • Using a third-party program (something 3d), graphic artists can create detailed models of objects or places; importing these into Flash as a series of images allows the user to view the model from different angles or seemingly rotate an object
  • Text can be animated in various ways in Flash to produce a "must read" experience for the user

• Portability
  • SWF files can be played on most platforms that have a Flash player, including some PDAs and cell phones
    • A Flash movie can also be saved as a "projector" file, which can be played on Windows and Macintosh operating systems without the Flash player

• Preloading
  • If the download time for a Flash movie will be rather long for dial-up users, in spite of Flash's native streaming ability, the designer can choose to code a preloader script into the movie
    • A typical preloader checks how much content has been downloaded and shows the user the percentage; the numeral dynamically increases as more content loads, until it reaches 100% - and then the movie begins to play
      • Users with a high-speed connection see the preloader very briefly ,or not at all, while dial-up users can decide whether they want to wait based on the speed and which the percentage is increasing
  • See Appendix A to create one

• Sound
  • Sound handled by Flash -whether it is part of the SWF file or loaded externally - doesn't require the users to have any player other than Flash
    • High-quality music or radio-style journalism can be saved as external MP3 files and played through the SWF, accompanying still photos, animated graphics, or other visual content
  • See Lesson 8 - Working with Sound

• Streaming
  • Flash content automatically steams; that means the Flash movie can begin to play before the entire SWF file has completely downloaded
    • The download continues while the user begins to enjoy the package
  • Music and video also stream automatically in Flash, if the SWF is constructed to allow it, making the Flash player a highly effective platform for delivering those types of content

From notes:

1. file sizes "Small"
   
   • some can be large
2. "Modularity"
   
   • refer to external files not embeded in flash file
   • refer to other flash (.swf) files)
3. Preloaders
   • % while document is loading (Some have bars, etc)
4. Design Control
   • set "movie" size/dimensions
   • designer forces size - doesn't change unless user makes changes
     
5. Navigation Options
   • less scrolling = better user experience
   • compact display
     
6. Integrate Media
   • audio, video
   • anything you want can integrate into packages
     
7. Portability
   1. can load into PowerPoint and in other formats
   2. Cell phones - "Flashlite" - show .swf in another place
   3. export Flash file and .mov and show in QuickTime
      

• Accessibility
  • With Flash player 6, Macromedia added support for Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA), which allows users of some assistive technologies, such as screen readers for the visually impaired, to receive content from a Flash movie
    • Content developers who want to comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or with the U.S. government's Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, need to evaluate whether they can user the Flash application to make their content accessible
  • Major Considerations include whether:
    • User of Flash package can navigate without using a mouse
    • All text in the Flash package is accessible to visually impaired users
    • All audio information is accessible through text alternatives

• Blurred text
  • A number of Flash movies on the web suffer from small text that is too blurry to read;  this problem can be corrected by using new features for aliased text built into Flash MX 2004 and later versions, or by using specific techniques with "device fonts" in older versions to avoid the blurriness
  • See lesson 9 - working with text

• Bookmarking
  • If a large package with multiple content sections is built entirely in Flash, users will not be able to bookmark a section they want to return to later
    • They can bookmark only the page that contains the full flash package
    • Alternative:
      • Have Flash open a new web page for each segment of the package, with each new web page containing the SWF file for that specific section
      • "deep linking" into the flash movie
  • HTML text from a regular web page can always be copied, but text in Flash can be made not selectable and thus impossible to copy by selecting it in the browser
    • The flash author can designate Flash text as selectable to allow users to copy and paste it into e-mail and other applications
  • To allow users to print specific text, the Flash author must make some adjustments in the FLA before exporting the file
    • Otherwise, no text can be printed

• File associations
  • If a flash movie opens external files, such as JPEG, mp3, or other SWF, and those files become unavailable because they have been moved or deleted, they result will not be as clear as the familiar "file not found" message users see when a regular web page has moved or disappeared
    • The flash movie will just stop, or fail to perform, without explanation
    • Avoid by having good organization and follow reliable site management practices

• Linking
  • It can be difficult to link to a Flash presentation that pops up in a window; many users don't know how to find the URL for content in a pop-up window
    • If they can't find the URL they can't e-mail it to a friend or blog the Flash presentation - which would bring more visitors to your Web site
      • Avoid by providing a regular HTML page specific to the Flash presentation, with a link on that page to open the pop-up window

• Search engines
  • Advantages to having a permanent URL:
    • Page title, meta tag keywords, and text on a regular web page can help people find your content when they use a search engine
  • In cases where a Flash movie opens by itself (SWF alone) in a pop-up window, these HTML elements don't exist, and the Flash movie is invisible to many search engines
  • See lesson 3 - putting flash on the web

• Site navigation
  • If your users can't see your navigation, they won't be able to get around on your web site at all

• Skip intro
  • Some flash is nothing more than eye candy, and a lot of eye candy ahs zero value as information
    • If you think users would want to skip it, then maybe your site should just skip it - and spare the users the trouble
  • An intro doesn't have to be pointless

• Version or browser conflicts
  • Certain content of Flash movies built with later versions of the Flash application can't be displayed in earlier versions of the Flash player
  • To avoid this unfortunate result ,many Flash developers user a "version detection script" (usually in JavaScript) on the web page to check the user's browser automatically and find out which version of the Flash player that user has
    • See lesson 3 - putting flash on the web
      • It's fine when it works
  • Some sites avoid detection script altogether and instead simply supply a link to the Flash player download page

From notes:

1. Accessibility
   • Section 508 of the Americans w/Disabilitiy Act
   • can't communicate to things ready by software for blind (no alt tags) - just real .swf file name
     
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
   • Google can't read what's in a .swf file
   • Google reads pages to see what site it about
     
3. Linking
   • difficult to establish links to site
   • can't link to .swf
   • can link to main url
   • bookmarking and printing
     • graphics heavy
     • what section to print?
       
4. Version Compatibility
   • newer can do more; have certain tricks
   • check to see what audience is using (Google Analytics)
     
5. Blurred Text
   • more blurry than HTML
   • embed fonts into file, otherwise file won't look the same
     
6. File Associations
   • if changed, flash won't find file
     
7. "Skip Intro" eye candy
   • trying to balance when to use multimedia can affect your message
     • waste of time?
     • cheapen product?
     • cheezy animation?
       

1. CEO
   • someone running business
   • started it and grew business
2. Account Executive
   • sales
   • sell services of firm
   • may be multimedia specific
3. Flash Designers
   • visual
   • timeline-based (rarely use code)
   • front end of flash
4. Flash Developer
   • coding
   • object-oriented programming
   • communicate with project manager
   • ActionScript - language for Flash
5. Programmers/Developers
   • pure programming
   • computer science
   • back end work
6. User Experience Manager (Usability Manager)
   • can user find content?
7. Online Media Managers
   • planners
   • media planners that specialize in online media and make decisions
   • decided where banner ads should appear
   • write text ads - decide as well
   • viral campaigns
   • buy keywords for Google or Yahoo Text ads
8. Social Media Managers
   • expected to know if company should have facebook/twitter
   • posts need to be relevant
9. Animators
   • difference between flash designer and animator
     • animation = 3D, LightWave - 3D modeling software
     • Flash = traditional 2D
   • too expensive to have in-house; most animators are hired outside of the agency (hiring them)
10. Project Manager (Producer)
11. Search Engine Optimizer
    • help clients get in top 10 of search engines for certain keywords
12. Web Analyst
    • specific job or part of SEO
    • look through data
    • analyze logs and traffic data
      • discovering things that relate to usability, SEO, what media planner might want

1. time
   • meeting deadlines
   • milestone
   • Projecmanagers have to balance well
2. budget
   • how much $ does client have? willing to pay?
   • most clients willing to pay more
3. quality
   • specifications - every detail of piece; how do you want it to look
   • doesn't mean always done by pros
   • really meand did we do what we were hired to do?
   • why person is there to keep track of making sure things get done
   • want nice features and now

• pick 2

-interactive

-motion (animation)

-sound/audio

-visuals (photo, graphics, transitions)

-slideshow

-text

-internet

-cell phones (smart phone, 3G, PDA)

-applications (App)/program

-games

-sms

-bluetooth

-video games

-kiosks

-cd/dvd

-powerpoint

-Feedback

-Control

-Creativity

-Productivity

-Communications

-Adaptivity

• Direction of communication
  • One-way, as in traditional mass media, or two-way, as in interpersonal communication

• Time flexibility
  • Synchronous (real-time, immediate) or asynchronous (stored, accessible at any time)

• Sense of place
  • Geographical distance, embodiment, presence or tele-presencein virtual places

• Level of control
  • Does the sender (author) or the receiver (Reader) control the experience?

• Responsiveness
  • Effort required from the user, customization, extent to which current responses depend on earlier responses or on exchanges between the user and the system

• Perceived purpose of communication
  • Persuading, informing, collaboration, etc.

• Conversational:
  • The degree to which users can create and publish their own content in a two-way media system

• Selective:
  • The degree to which the users can choose content, either from a fixed set of options or by submitting requests

• Registrational:
  • The degree to which information about the users is captured and employed to respond and adapt to the users' actions and goals

• Degree of choices available
• Degree of modifiability
• Number of selections and modifications available
• Degree of linearity or non-linearity

• The typical Flash journalism package uses the same kind of interface as most web sites - links
  • Links may look like buttons, tabs, or perky icons, but when you get right down to what the interface does, it is just a list of links
  • Click one and you get some new information

• Maps provide an obvious interface for some journalism stories
• Timelines and calendars work well for retrospectives and biographies

• bundle numerous elements and stories together into an online story "this" by creating links on a web page

• may include photo slideshows, animated infographics, video, audio, maps, charts, longer text stories presented as regular web pages, and links to resources at other web sites

• Usually, a single web page serves as an entry into it and all the elements are linked to that page

  • Some  linked elements may appear in smaller pop-up windows, while others may be full-size web pages

• possible to build entirely in flash
• Any number or mix of elements can be combined in it
  • may be a one-time, one-shot story that is launched and never altered
  • may be a collection of elements from an ongoing news story that has not yet concluded; this type of must be designed to accommodate the need for updating
• News organizations typically create an online one on a page for major ongoing stories
  • The headlines of the latest text stories usually are linked automatically, thanks to a script in the web page code that searches for a keyword
  • This kind of page is constructed dynamically, using information pulled from a database
  • A one-shot of this can be a static page, without using any database technology
• Some online of these contain few or no examples of Flash journalism
  • In other cases, it may be a single text story with several elements linked to it, such as a video, a photo slideshow, and a map
  • The linked elements may have appeared first in another news medium, or they may have been constructed specifically for use online
• In other words, not all include Flash journalism, and not all examples of Flash journalism are linked to a text story

• • refers to a specific type of illustration that helps tell the story
    • Usually such a graphic includes one or more blocks of text that help explain what is illustrated
    • Television newsrooms use the word graphics to refer to similar storytelling visuals
  • Larger news organizations employ graphic designers to create original news graphics as needed for the daily newscast or print editions
  • Big events - views expect to see animated graphics that explain what happened on their TV
    • The animation for TV might be created with exactly the same software tools as the animation published on a news web site
      • Are they the same?
        • Not necessarily
        • Control is the primary difference between an animation on TV and an animation online.
          • The online designer is not required to give control to the user, but it is always possible for the designer  to do so
          • What distinguishes it from the one shown on TV? The online user can:
            • Absorb the information step by step, at a pace he or she chooses
            • Replay the animation immediately
            • View the animation at a time that is convenient for him/her
          • The user's ability to control the pace affects the storytelling significantly
            • Knowing that users can proceed at their own speed, graphics designers can pack in more detailed information, including text and audio

•  is one example of a way to tell a story online, on a computer screen
  • This type of presentation combines two media forms that have been available for more than a century - still photography and audio recording
    • Similar to video

•  
• By 2005, most Internet users had seen photo of these, some of which play automatically, while other require the user to click a button to change the image
  • Most of these include text for caption and credit information
    • Sometimes the caption isn't visible until the user clicks or rolls over a certain element in the window
      • In other cases, the caption is always visible below or besides the photo
  • The format is specific to digital delivered media
    • It is simply a new way to present or deliver photojournalism - storytelling
  • Sound adds a dimension that photos with text captions don't, and can't, possess
    • Sound adds information to the experience of a photo, which can change the story that viewer experiences
  • It could be said that adding photos to the sound changes the story that the listener experiences
  • Not all online of these include sound; the decision to include it or not depends on the goals for the presentation, as well as professional realities
    • Sometimes it isn't possible to get relevant sound to accompany photos
  • Sound can detract from the quality of the presentation if the audio quality is poor, if the sound editing is badly done, or if the content of the sound is either redundant or irrelevant to the visuals
    • Done well, however, the addition of sound to photo journalism can exercise tremendous power over the user

1. to communicate
   • news
     • texting and driving
     • charts
     • stats
     • video
     • pictures
     • sound
     • game
2. to demonstrate
3. to sell
4. for fun

• audio alone - retention up 20%
• audio/visual - retention up 30%
• "interactive" (high involvement) - retention up 60%

• makes sure project gets done
• aka producer, coordiantor
• crucial to success of project

1. Microsoft Project
   • left-hand column - tasks needed to be done
     • legal takes the longest
     • to do list
   • next column how long will task take?
     • start/finish date
   • visual
     
     • show tasks and how long it takes
     • some tasks need to be done before others
   • also keeps track of budget
2. Microsoft Office
3. Flowcarts
   • spell out with boxes and arrows the content of the piece
     • text, audio, garphics
     • how many contant areas
     • size of project
   • communication tool to client, developmers, designers, editors, etc
4. Documents with Signatures
   • each person has to sign off on project as it is changed
   • fail because of miscommunication
   • Project Manager responsible to find documents and explain why they do what they do

• indicates something important (or a phase) has occurred
• clients can agree to pay a certain amount of money at every one of these - brings money in
• deadlines gets money in bank

• library of code developers play with

• Macromedia acquired a company called FutureWave Software, which had developed a software package called FutureSplash Animator, in December 1996
  • The following year, Macromedia released Flash as its new online animation package
  • Macromedia was created in 1992 from the merger of two California software companies, MacroMind-Paracomp and AuthorWare
    • Macromedia was already well know for Director - software used primarily to develop CD-ROMs

• FutureSplash was originally intended to "dominate the market for graphics software on pen computers,"
  • It evolved into an animation program after the market outlook for pen computing darkened in 1995

• In the mid-1990s, web developers had two common choices for animation:
  • Animated GIFs  (suitable for very simple, small animations)
  • Macromedia Director (had steep learning curve)

• Flash attracted attention immediately for its ability to produce big-screen complex animations at very small file sizes -which meant you could place a great-looking animated graphic  on a web page, and users wouldn't have to wait too long for it to download
  • Uses vector graphics instead of bitmaps and streams content automatically
    • Flash is able to provide instant gratification to impatient web users

• Flash files can include sound and photos, both at good quality
• Macromedia has specifically targeted Flash and its capabilities at Web animation and online applications ,reserving more demanding and "heavier" capabilities for Director and Shockwave
  • This doesn't mean that Flash files are always small and lightweight; they can grow to be just as large

• Flash version release dates
  • 1997 - Flash 1.0
  • 1998 - Flash 3
  • 1999 - Flash 4
  • 2000 - Flash 5
  • 2002 - Flash MX (6)
  • 2003 - Flash MX 2004 (7)
• Important Flash dates
  1. 1996 - Macromedia Future Wave - owned director
  2. 2005 - Adobe buys Macromedia
  3. 2008 - Adobe CS4 Comes out
• Before flash came out, people used JIF Builder and Director
  

1. Start
2. client signs contact (timeline goes up)
3. timeline stabilizes
   • reasons
     • another new client
     • problems with existing client
     • issues with client
4. timeline rises
   • done with project
   • send bill put money in bank
   • start new project with same project life cycle

• during this the Project Manager is basically a cheerleader
  • help to make sure projects don't fail
  • most projects fail because they don't complete all specifications or are missing parts
  • project manager needs to be able to work with others
  • sometimes they need to cut losses and package without something
    • no one wants to say this - kill project or cut short; pull plug

1. Phase 1
   • put important elements here
   • stuff to get done first
   • concentrate on it
2. Phase 2
   • will happen eventually
3. Phase 3
   • stuff here usually doesn't happen

• communication tool for project planning
  • device to communicate content of a project
  • chart out content of a piece
    • content - audio, picture, etc (but don't describe colors)
  • mock-ups may be attached to it (visual of how piece may be laid out)
  • go to everyone involve with project: developers, client, account executive, etc
  • shapes and colors need to have a clear meaning
• include drop-down menus

• features sometimes might creep to another phase
  • creep from phase I to II

• out of that specific phase
• might not be as good of an idea
• figure out if idea should be in another phase

• Eyetracker - shows studies of how people look at a web page (top left corner)

1. upper-left corner
   • where am I?
   • what can I do here?
   • inform users where they are and where piece comes
2. simplicity
3. consistency
   • navigation
     • don't move it around
     • keep same place
     • user same terminology
4. "Norms"
   • eyes go to upper left
   • understand what users are expecting
   • have nagivation simple enough for everyone to udnerstand
   • linking policies
     • what are you going to hyperlink? if at alll?
5. 80/20
   • 80% content
   • 20% ads and navigation
     • of piece/content
6. photos
   • faces attract others (crop bigger on faces)
   • cropping mattres
   • thumbnails - crop in on something significant in photo

1. where am I
2. where can I go
   • use system with words/images/tool to tell them where to go

• back button = red flag - typically means can't get back to homepage - issue
• web shrinks photographer's image (large photo or box)
• mouse overs can answer where can you go
• typicallly along top; logo in top-left corner
• include good pics to help know where to go
• balance standards

• .fla = flash (not uploaded to internet)
• .swf = shockwave flash
  • condensed down to elements played in file
• player - "built int" to browser, plays these

• at first they were separate
  • flash - multimedia firm
• merged together in dot come boom (1995-2000)
• dot com bust in 2000 caused them to split
  • if multimedia didn't grow, company could cut off
• today they have come back together (since 2003+)