Structural issues in multimedia design

Abstract

This tutorial addresses the structural issues that emerge in the context of designing and developing a range of interactive multimedia applications, from those with basic navigational structures, such as branching and elaboration, to those with complex discourse structures, such as interactive narratives and interactive essays. Topics include basic interactive structures; complex interactive discourse structures; and the kinds of global representations of content, or conceptual macrostructures [1], that are appropriate for various kinds of content and applications. Concepts are illustrated with examples from the World Wide Web, commercial products, and research prototypes.