1. Functional Specification
Unit 10 – Using Multimedia Software

2. Today’s objectives Systems lifecycle
To examine the importance of the functional specification
To examine the specification details required for a multimedia product

3. Systems lifecycle

4. Introduction Any multimedia project must have a reference point
A functional specification describes the final aims of the of the project
A description of what the final product will do
Clarity is of upmost importance
You need a clear picture of the direction you are to go in from the start

5. The process.... The purpose of the product1
The purpose of the product 2
The information the product must supply 3
How the information must be presented 4
How the product will be used 5
How to judge the effectiveness of the product

6. 1. The purpose of the Product
Over the last couple of lessons, we have been looking at the different uses of multimedia
You will need to be clear about the intended purpose of the product
This needs to be agreed with the user before you go any further

7. User/Audience?
Audience
User

9. The purpose of the product
The following might be suitable products for you
An interactive GCSE revision for a specific subject or topic
An interactive information point
A set of interactive tutorials designed to improve teachers’ ICT skills
An interactive story with different pathways and endings

10. 2. The information the product must supply
The whole point of multimedia is to supply information in a variety of forms
You need to be clear from the outset what information your product will supply
This depends on the user
The information must be suitable for your audience

11. 2. The information the product must supply contd...
You will need to spend some time collecting images, sounds, drawings and video clips
You will need to be able to edit them using specialist software
You need to discuss the exact requirements with the user
When you have collected the information, check it with your user

12. 3. How the information must be presented
You need to specify exactly how the various bits of information you have collected will be presented
Slideshow
how long will it last?
How many slides will be in it?
How big will the slides be when displayed?
Text
Is there a specific colour scheme?
Colours/sentence length/corporate image

15. 4. How will the product be used?
You are going to produce an interactive product - this will need to be viewed on a computer
It needs to be fit for purpose
You may need to produce a prototype
What software will the computer need?
Will your product run on any computer?

16. 5. How to judge the effectiveness of a product
When complete, you will need to review the product to judge how well it performs the tasks you intended it to do
You will therefore need to establish a set of performance criteria during the functional specification
This will enable you to evaluate the product easily
You will also need to ask third parties to test and review your product

17. Your e-mail Introduction
Who you are, what you are studying, what your task is (you may need to explain the term multimedia!)
Ask if there is any area you can help with in their department
Pupil learning/revision
Tracking pupil progress
Lesson planning
Suggest some areas you could help with
Online tutorials
Podcasts/Videocasts
New resources (interactive stories)