Large numbers of jumps can make navigation overwhelmingly complexOnce you decide on the purpose and content of the title, you must determine how to structure this information for the most effective presentation. Remember that a multimedia title differs from a printed text. You aren't limited to a purely sequential, front to back structure—the title should provide an interactive experience to the user. The choices a user makes while viewing a title should directly affect what they see. Incorporate the concept of interactivity into the structure of your title's design.
Once you have discussed and made decisions concerning these issues, you can start working out scripts, storyboards, sample screens, and prototypes. This is also where the real designing occurs. To prototype your application, you can choose from the traditional scripting and design methods, such as copyboard drawings and typed scripts, and from software tools such as Asymetrix ToolBook or the MDK's Multimedia Viewer.
One classic navigational landmark within text-oriented multimedia applications is known as the Contents topic. The Contents topic serves as the entry point into the title and as a safe haven for users whenever they become lost in information. The sample Viewer application uses the following Contents topic:
This Contents topic reflects good design. The United States map provides an instant summary of the structure of the title. It offers access to all elements in the title. It clearly distinguishes areas of interest graphically (through buttons with state names). And it presents an attractive opening screen for the title.
The Contents topic sets the tone for all other topics and therefore should establish a consistent and meaningful design that underlies the entire title. It acts as the center of navigation for the title just as a table of contents helps the reader identify the parts of a book.
In many cases, the Contents topic lists all the categories covered in the title and provides a cross-reference jump to each category.
Another aspect when structuring text-oriented information to consider is the hierarchy of related topics and how this affects the sequence in which the title presents information. For example, a typical newspaper story works with an underlying pyramid structure. The opening paragraph explains the key issues of who, what, when, where, why, and how. Subsequent paragraphs explain the story in ever-increasing detail, expanding upon the points made in the first paragraph by offering additional related information.
The information in a multimedia title may take the same structural form as this hypothetical news item. You could set up the first level of your topics with the core material, and then offer additional levels through cross-topic jumps to related topic screens. This establishes a hierarchy of information much the same as the pyramid.
In some cases, however, the information represents a continuation of prior screens, and not an additional level of thought. In these situations a browse sequence would probably prove beneficial. By establishing linear browse sequences, you tell the viewer that the information contained in a series of topic screens should be read sequentially from start to finish for maximum understanding.
Most authoring tools can connect related topics through cross-topic jumps. You can choose images or words as jump areas and specify the topics to which those jumps lead. You can place jumps to multiple topics within a single topic.
This power requires a certain amount of thought. A large number of jumps lets the viewer browse through information in a totally random manner. The benefit of this is that the user can access a vast amount of information easily. Cross-topic jumps, however, have some drawbacks:
Large numbers of jumps can make navigation overwhelmingly complex
It takes time to test large numbers of jumps to ensure they work correctly
The Multimedia Viewer, and other authoring tools, provide built in navigational aids to help a user re-establish position within the title. Nevertheless, as designer, you should make sure that all jumps you include in a title serve a useful purpose.