Interactivity in Multimedia Applications - Group 7 (Chendra Harry, I12001370)

Interactivity in Multimedia Applications

I.               Introduction

Living in this twenty-first century where computer plays a very major role in human live and the technologies keep rapidly changing, has also driven the development of multimedia which is one of the most significant areas in computing to be more and more advance since it was first introduced to the world.

Nowadays, the term “Multimedia” is no longer unfamiliar to the people no matter he or she is an amateur or expert in computing. Most of the people would think of video, animation, or games when it comes to multimedia. Video, animation, and games are some examples of multimedia, this is the evidence that people have some basic knowledge about multimedia even they do not have a clear understanding about multimedia though.

Multimedia are involved in variety areas and plays as a very important role in some areas such as business, journalism, industry, medicine, and others. Especially in computing, multimedia has raised up the availability of hardware and software component and has brought the user to the whole new computer world.

One of the reasons why multimedia is such an important element in computing is because multimedia is the most attractive, effective, convenient, and is the only way that has been using to help the users to communicate or interact with the computer since it was introduced until today. Helping the users to communicate and interact with the computer while operating it, is what people call as “interactivity” nowadays.

So, what exactly is multimedia, what do we mean by “Interactivity”, what are some examples of multimedia application, how do users interact with the multimedia application actually? All those questions will be answered in this blog post

II.       Multimedia and Multimedia Applications.

                                                                                             

In order to have a better understanding about the topic for this blog post which is “Interactivity in Multimedia Applications”, we must first understand what multimedia is and what some examples of multimedia application are.

1.      Multimedia

According to the Dave Marshall (Marshall, 2001), multimedia is the computer information which can be represented through audio, video, and animation in addition to traditional media such as text, graphics, drawing, or images.

In general, multimedia is the way of presenting information by using a computer system with the combination of text, sound, and graphics. Text refers to writing, worksheet, or typography. Sound refers to speech, music, or noises. While graphics refers to pictures, animation, or videos. 

Text, sound, and graphics are the three basic elements in multimedia which are essential, necessary, and indispensable for the people in presenting any information.

Figure 1.1: Three Basic Elements in Multimeda

2.        Multimedia Applications

Application, as known as Application Program, is a computer program or software designed to perform some specific task for the user (techtarget.com, 2013).

Dave Marshall (Marshall, 2001) explained that multimedia application is an application which uses a collection of multiple multimedia sources such as text, graphic, images, sound/audio, animation and/or video.

In addition, multimedia application is the computer software which producing, editing, combining, recording, entertaining, presenting information, or any other activities with the use of text, sound, and graphics.

Today, most of the application or computer software are considered as multimedia application as these applications use lots of text, sound, or graphics to present the information to the users. There are lots of multimedia application available for the users, from free of charge to paid applications.

Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Flash, CorelDraw, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, CyberLink PowerDVD, Windows Media Player, these are some examples of famous multimedia applications nowadays.

  

Figure 1.2: Examples of Multimedia Applications

III.          Interactivity in Multimedia Application

In computers, interactivity is the dialog that occurs between a human being (or possibly another live creature) and a computer program (techtarget.com, 2013). The term “Interactivity” can also be explained as the process where the user communicating, operating, or interacting with a computer program.

Interactivity is about two-ways communication between the user and the application where the user inputs some data into the application and the application itself generate and present the useful information back to the user.

Interactivity involve three essential stages of Input – Process – Output. Input stage is where the user inputs or key in some gathered data into the application. Process stage is the stage where the application processing the data inputted by the user and convert it into some useful information for the user. The process of converting input to output is known as System Transformation. Output stage is where the application presenting or displaying the generated information to the user.

Therefore, in order for the user to interact with the application, input and output devices are needed as the bridge to connect between the user and application.

 1.      Input Devices

Input devices are one of the hardware component in a computer that allows its user to input data or instruction. Below here are some input devices nowadays:

• Keyboard
• Pointing Devices
• Mouse
• Pointing stick
• Game Controllers
• Gamepads
• Joystick
• Motion-sensing controller
• Image and Video-input devices
• Scanner
• Web cam
• Camera
• Audio-input devices
• Microphone

Figure 2.1: Input Devices

2.      Output Devices

Output devices are computer hardware component that conveys or displays information to the user. Here are some output devices:

• Monitor
• Printers
• Speaker
• Projector

Figure 2.2: Output Devices

Based on user interaction, multimedia applications can be classified into two categories (techtarget.com, 2013):

• Batch/Background Program

Batch program is program that run automatically in the background without immediate user involvement which means no interactivity between user and application occurred. Operating system, antivirus program, and email system are some examples of batch program.

   

Figure 2.3: Batch Programs that run automatically in the background

•  Interactive Program

Interactive program is define as program which need interaction or input from the user in order for the program to operate or perform some tasks thus generate and present the result to the user.

Interactive program runs on the foreground opposed to batch program which runs on the background. Most of the multimedia application nowadays are interactive program and some example of interactive program are Photoshop, Flash, After Effect, and other multimedia application.

Figure 2.4: Adobe Photoshop as Interactive Program running on the foreground

IV.                   Linear and Non-Linear Interactivity

1.       LINEAR INTERACTIVITY

Linear interactivity is one type of interactivity where the users are allowed to interact with the application without operating, controlling, or modifying the content of the application at the same time. Commonly, the users are passive or non-active in linear interactivity as they are unable to control or arrange the sequence of the multimedia content. Example of this interactivity is movies which use a combination of text, sound, and graphics while the users are unable to control or modify the sequence of events.

Figure 3.1 : Example of Linear Interactivity

2.      NON-LINEAR INTERACTIVITY

Non-linear interactivity is another type of interactivity where the users are allowed to interact with the application and its content according to the users’ desires. In other words, Non-linear interactivity establishes two-way communication between the users and the applications. 

For example, hypertext, which is the text that contains the link that connected or directed to another sources or screens. When the users click on the hypertext, it will navigate the users to the source that connected to the hypertext. By doing so, the sequence and the progress of multimedia content is controlled and modified by the users. Another example is hypermedia which is the tool that similar to the hypertext but it connects to audio or video.

Figure 3.2 : Hypertext as example of Non-Liner Interactivy

V.               Level of Interactivity

According to Craig Mitchell (Mitchell, 2003), there are five levels of interactivity. Each of these levels build up on previous levels.

Level 1: Passive

At Passive Level, the users are unable to interact with the application thus there is no interactivity. The users is not allowed to do anything other than watch a text, image, or video. 

The users of the application is unable to respond to the application itself and is not been given choices or involved in arranging or modifying the multimedia content.

In summary, users play as passive receiver of information in this level. Youtube video or Powerpoint presentation would be the example of passive level interactivity.

Level 2:  Navigational

At Navigational Level, the users are given the option to move from one screen or source to another information sources by using tools such as menus, hypertexts, hypermedia, search engines, or commands. 

In case of basic logic game, the users are given choices such as up or down, left or right, X or O. Even though the users are able to navigate or are given choices, yet the users still limited, restrained, and only be able to view the information of the chosen choices.

Level 3: Functional

At Functional Level, the users interact with the application to accomplish or complete a goal or set of goals. The goal can be winning the game in case of game application or can be ordering a product in case of online shopping. 

At this level, the user will receive feedback from the application during the interaction progress. Game score, reward, advice, or progress chart are some examples that will be received by the users.  

Level 4: Adaptive

At Adaptive Level, users are offered with far higher level of creative control. The application is adapted to the users and the goals. At previous level, users can only interact with the application by following the rules or based on the option given.

However, at this level of interactivity, the users are more flexible. The rules can be changed and option can be added by the users. In case of computer games, the players can reach new levels, create new jobs, or establish new worlds as well as alter the game rules and determine the interactions with other users. Thus the players are not just playing the game but at the same time, shaping the game, altering the tasks and rules, and creating new outcomes.

Level 5: Hyperadaptive

At Hyperadaptive Level, the application interacting with the users yet at the same time, adapting and readapting itself to the users as the users’ goals, knowledge or mindset changing.

Hyperadaptive application evolves as their users evolve. The application can acts as the mentor of the users as well.

It is said when the users are able to create or make media and remake their associations, the users have also created a hyperadaptive environment as well.

VI.          Interactive Multimedia Application

Games, as one of the most important multimedia application nowadays, are said to be the best example of user-application interaction. The reason is because games are designed to interact with the player and games require great amount of interactivity or user input in order to complete the games.

Take a chess game for example, normally there are two players which are the user and the AI (Artificial Intelligence) player. The user will need to move the 16 chess pieces whether it is king, queen, rook, bishop, knight, or pawn to checkmate the AI’s king in order to complete the game.

User’s chess piece movement is considered as the input from the user and based on the user input, the AI player moves its chess piece as well. AI’s chess piece movement is displayed through the monitor which is considered as the output generated by the game application.

Generally, there would be a lots of interactivity occur in order to finish the one round of game. Therefore, games are the top best multimedia application which involve significant user interaction.

Figure 4.1: Microsoft Chess Titans

Another example of multimedia application that require interactivity is web browser. Web browser is the application or program that allows the user to visit or browse for webpages and use web application on WWW (World Wide Web). Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Windows Internet Explorer, Opera, these are some example of famous web browser.

There are lots of interactivity occur in WWW as well. Typing link or command on the web browser, clicking on images using mouse, are considered as input forms of interactivity. The displayed webpages, images, videos, are considered as output forms of interactivity.

Another example is web application which allows the user to use some application or software right on the web without having to download or install them. Using online word processor or online spreadsheet to type or edit work and print it out afterward, upload a images and edit it with online image editing application then save it on the computer, these are some examples of interactivity in web application.  

Figure 4.2: User interacting with the search engine by type in the keyword and the search engine display the result based on the user input

IV.           Reflection and Conclusion

Throughout the research, we learnt that interactivity is about how the user interact with the application by inputting the data while application convert the data and present it back to the user in the most useful format.

In general, input from the user and output from the application determine how the interactivity going on. The input from the user determine how the output is going to be, thus it can be inferred that the perfection and completeness of an output is determined based on how well the user select the data to be inputted, how good the user use the application, and how familiar the user to the application.

If the user do not know how to select or input data to the application, definitely there is no any interactivity will occur. Same case, if the user do not know how to use or operate the application, then obviously there is whether no output will be generated or the poor quality output will be generated.

As most of the application or software nowadays is multimedia application which the user interaction is essential, a basic knowledge about operating these multimedia application is needed for the student or those who have been working with these multimedia application as the result of a work is determined by the knowledge of the multimedia application itself.

In conclusion, learning and understanding the interactivity and the multimedia application is necessary, especially for student. As the learning and understanding about interactivity in multimedia application can be applied to the learning progress or upcoming assignments.

V.              References

• Marshall, D., 2001. CM0340 Chapter 1: Introduction to Multimedia [pdf]. Available at : <http://www.cs.cf.ac.uk/Dave/Multimedia/PDF/01_CM0340_Introduction.pdf> [Accessed 17 September 2013]. 
• What is application? - Definition from WhatIs.com. 2013. What is application? - Definition from WhatIs.com. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/application> [Accessed 20 September 2013].   
• What is interactivity? - Definition from WhatIs.com. 2013. What is interactivity? - Definition from WhatIs.com. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/definition/interactivity> [Accessed 21 September 2013]. 
• Panitia ICT. Learning Area 4: INTERACTIVITY OF MULTIMEDIA (Lesson 22). 2010. Learning Area 4: INTERACTIVITY OF MULTIMEDIA (Lesson 22). [ONLINE] Available at: <http://learningarea4a.blogspot.com/2010/07/interactivity-of-multimedia-lesson-22.html> . [Accessed 04 October 2013].
• Mitchell, C., 2003. Multimedia Interactivity in Worship, Learning and Mission [rtf]. Available at: <http://craigmitchell.typepad.com/mountain_masala/files/interactivity.rtf>. [Accessed 04 October 2013].