An electronic document differs substantially from a printed one. Books have existed for centuries and people understand how they look and work. Books have substance and weight and texture. Everyone knows what to expect from books.
A multimedia title exists electronically. It lacks the tactile qualities of print. Simply transferring the internal design of a book to an online medium fails to take advantage of the potential power a computer can offer.
This chapter briefly discusses some of the issues associated with developing a multimedia title. The process of creating a multimedia application usually begins when an idea germinates and one person or a team of people comes up with a marketing rationale and an action plan for producing the product. There are three general rules that apply in every case:
1.Know exactly what you want the product to be
2.Establish what you want your title to contain
3.Prepare the data you'll be using
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the issues associated with these rules in enough detail so you can develop a specification for your title. This specification should be a full, detailed description of the images, sounds, structure, and user interface features of your product.