Lakhasly

The first step in the two different lifecycles in Figure 2.3 is quite different. The starting point in information systems development is a particular organization and its problems, and various solutions can be discussed. It is not even sure that developing an information system is the solution to the problem at hand. Multimedia systems development on the other hand is a process that from the beginning is directed towards a certain product based on concrete ideas or needs.

The manuscript step corresponds quite well with analysis and design in the information systems lifecycle, but the focus is different. In information systems development, information and functions are in focus, while interactivity, navigation and possibly some kind of a story are emphasized in multimedia development.

Implementation, installation and distribution are mainly concerned with programming and testing in an information systems lifecycle, which can be compared with production in a multimedia context.

Multimedia development appeared to be a composition of three main processes, software engineering and what traditionally is regarded as content development. The third process is the overall management and control of the whole project (project management and marketing). The structure of the relation between the three processes is clarified in Figure 2.4. In the content process, the content is created or retrieved from various sources and prepared for realization. The software engineering process is about formalizing and coding the content and making it run as defined in the content process.

Multimedia systems are based on the combination of both computer software and hardware. From that point of view, their development does not differ from any other computerized information system. Common software engineering techniques and development methods can be applied in the software process of a multimedia project. Several methods and techniques are used for managing and controlling software engineering processes, and the competencies needed are well defined, even if they differ slightly from methodology to methodology and from project to project.

When it comes to content development, the competencies needed vary as well. A large part of the content is of an aesthetic nature. The aesthetic content often exists in non-electronic forms, so the main work of the content producers in a multimedia project can be to convert the original content to an electronic form. Each competence of the aesthetic production belongs to a discipline that has its own methods. One major challenge is to coordinate all the involved disciplines and various ways of working into a homogeneous process.

Results of the aesthetic development can be design of graphics, audio, photos, animations, text etc. Stories or scenarios are also a matter of aesthetic development. They and the characters in the stories can define or have great impact on the design of the system. The software engineering and the content development processes can start simultaneously, which is quite common in the computer game business, but normally the content part is planned and partly developed before the software engineering process starts. The two activities run of course in parallel through implementation and testing, as the “content” process is often affected by different technical issues and vice versa.