Multimedia object types I: TEXT ISMT Multimedia Dr Vojislav B Mišić.

Multimedia object types I:TEXT

ISMT MultimediaDr Vojislav B Mišić

ISMT multimedia Lecture 02 / slide 2 © 2002 Dr Vojislav B Mišić

Vision

The most important sense: provides us with information about

food (fresh and other), possible friends and enemies, and other interesting things in the environment

Vision needs light in order to function


Physics says …

Light is electromagnetic radiationVisible wavelengths from 380 to 700 nmDifferent frequencies (wavelengths) are perceived as different colorsHumans can perceive millions of colors (resolution much below 1nm = 10-9m)


Biology says …

Vision receptors: eyes (two apiece)Two types of sensor cells on the retina – rods and cones (different sensitivity and different distributions)Eye nerves transmit informationThe brain synthesizes the picture, performs recognition


Text

A stream of characters grouped in words,… which are grouped in sentences, … which are grouped in paragraphs, … which are grouped in sections, … which are grouped in chapters, … which are grouped in volumes, … which are grouped in books, … which are stored in libraries, …


Text is linear and deferredText is an inherently linear mediumIdeas are communicated word by word, sentence by sentence, …The (literal) meaning of a block of text is revealed at the end, or somewhere near itText perception is again of a multilevel type: other interpretations (=meanings) can be present, to become obvious later (or never)


Text characteristicsIdeal for describing abstract phenomena, such as feelingsRelatively independent of the rendering qualityAble to support other media objects

by providing explanations or cluesby reinforcing their meaning and messages

Usually redundant; can tolerate some loss


Exercise 1

can you read this sentence?


Exercise 2

how about this sentence?


Exercise 3

or this one?


ProblemsImproper design may fail to deliver the intended messageExtremely bad design can render the text unreadable/unusable (see next slide)On a more abstract level, text is generally not very portable across culturesFinally, physical medium is not very durable (prone to wear & tear, fire, acidity in the air)


Problems: an exampleLevel 1

Level 2

Level 3


Typography

Typography concerns the aspects of text that make it legible and expressive

typefacesizeweightpage layout

They all affect the manner in which text conveys information (and the efficiency of the process)


Text Objects (Western)Typeface defines character appearancesFont: set of characters of a single typeface

size (expressed in points, pt)weight (normal, semibold, bold, extrabold)mode (upright, slanted, italic)


Text DesignDepends on the intended context (printed or displayed)First choice: which typeface(s) to use

Serif (such as Times), sans serif (such as Arial), decorative (such as Comic),

and/or monospaced (such as Courier)


Typeface/Font Formats

PostScript: designed by Adobe, almost every manufacturer uses itTrueType: used by Microsoft in Windows 95/98 (but Win2000 has PostScript font rasterizer )Font quality: strokes, hints (esp. at small font sizes)


Text Design IITypefaces have personalitiesForm always follows functionRight typeface can reinforce your message, while a wrong one …(visualizer sample)

A SamplerMany different variations for a given typefaceVast libraries of type exist, most of them in digital form


Text legibilityChoose a clear typeface and size that users can easily readSerif typefaces tend to lose screen legibility

if they are too small or the screen resolution is low

Sans-serif typefaces are more legible,even on lower resolution screens

Decorative typefaces, such as Comic Sans or Impact, are normally used for printed text at large point sizes only, otherwise they tend to be hard to read or even illegible


Text Legibility IITo emphasize a word, phrase or sentence, experiment with different sizes, fonts, weights, or modesChanging weight or mode in the text is like shouting – you don’t shout all the time, and if you do, people will get used to it and not notice it any moreUse capitals sparingly: lowercase letters help readers distinguish words MORE EASILY THAN ALL UPPERCASE LETTERS


Typefaces

The moral of the story isuse typefaces that correspond to the intended messageuse different typeface/size/weight combinations for proper emphasisbut: don’t overdo it

If in doubt, seek professional helpA fool with a tool is still …


Page/screen layout

Layout: concerns the position of objects on the page/screenWhat information is the most important?What catches the eye first?Emphasis on content, headlines, navigation elements, or controls


Common layout elements

Column widths, lengths, leading, letter spacing, rivers, widows and orphansGrid: helps designers quickly (and consistently) lay out elementsGrid also helps in aligning the elements


Pacing (I)

A sparse screen may establish a slower pace, give the user more time to read each element, makes them stand out more prominently


Pacing (II)

A screen with more elements requires faster pace and gives the reader less time to focus on individual elements


Pacing (III)

it might be interesting to note that a later version of the Bitstream home page has been rearranged, and not only in terms of fancy buttons ...


Pacing (IV)

Faster pacing with plenty of information is sometimes acceptableCNN: a well known page, accessed for reference (very few first-time users)


Style

Style is expressed by the design: the elements and their interrelationshipsDesign can expressdifferent stylesStyle should relate to the audience and the purpose and/or message(s) of the project

traditionalformalcasualactivefuturistichistoricmodernloudquietutilitarian


Hypertext

Intended to overcome the inherent linearity of text objectsAllows users to navigate in order to find relevant informationBut: links must be defined in advanceHypermedia extends the same concepts to all media including sound and video


Text retrievalLarge texts require searching support:

table of contentsword/name indexesconcept indexesglossaries

Concordances, Keyword-in-context (KWIC) indexes

Electronic versions add

sophisticated searching capabilitiesfuzzy searchinghypertext functions

Text search still leaves something to be desired (even Google or MSN )


What Do You Think …

Is text still important in the multimedia age?Or should we use other media instead?Does the answer depend on the physical medium (i.e., computer screen vs. mobile phone vs. some futuristic wearable computer)?


Summary of Lecture 02

vision - perhaps the most important sensory input channeltext - preferred medium in many casesoverall sense of balance and style is very important

Multimedia object types I: TEXT ISMT Multimedia Dr Vojislav B Mišić.

Documents