Any multimedia project must be meticulouslyplanned to achieve its objectives. Persons interested in fund raising for a particular organization, for example, must determine whom they are expecting to reach, what amount and/or level of information will be most effective, what are the resources these groups or individuals may have to view your presentation, (If you're planning on putting your multimedia onto CD-ROM, make sure they have access to a compatible CD-ROM player!) and, not least, the navigational ease for the potential giver.
There are other considerations. A menu of icons means little to someone who's used to printed newsletters. You must generate interest while building a comfort level by meticulous explanation and/or stressing the familiar. Sticking to an old newsletter's graphic setup as a bridge to a "Super Newsletter" before adding more creative efforts or technological benefits may be your best approach.
For sales or promotions, this creation of a "comfort level" is even more critical. In a trade show environment, few kiosk presentation browsers will spend more than 20 seconds searching for the information they need or want. Such productions must be designed to be clear, precise and streamlined for maximum use -- as well as for impact. Equally, a training program produced for individual instruction must combine straightforward navigation, preferably with audio, visual and written cues, plus provide precise, reiterated, and illustrated information to assure retention. Also, it's wise to note that such items as bouncing balls, or other "cutesy" aids can be annoying and become a real irritation if the person must repeatedly enter the program.
Other uses of multimedia? Meetings, of course -- where not only can a variety of media illustrate a set speaker's script, but, with a click of the mouse, be easily adjusted to a divergence from that script as necessary. Or the banking industry, where some ATM machines have given way to a total banking environment, with loan application and other functions made entirely "self-help." A potential application also may be in health care, where someone diagnosed with a chronic or serious illness would be given a CD with instructions for a home regimen, details on "what to look for" -- with video -- plus the means to reach further services, such as help with referrals, or the cost of prescribed drugs. And, of course, we're becoming familiar with on-line catalogs, where you can see, try on, and almost "touch" the item you're preparing to buy.
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