Now, after a year of new product announcements and ever-widening discussion of multimedia in the realms of academe, industry and the popular press, the questions have become more practical. As is typical whenever technologies are integrated, the number of ways of controlling the combined system is greater than the sum of the spearate controls for each technology. With or without this additional assistance, it is critical that the integrated control system be simple to use. Without a high degree of usability, no system, regardless of its technical sophistication or elegance, will be accepted by a broad range of faculty and instructors.
Usability depends almost exclusively on the design of multimedia delivery and control systems.
Instructors or other potential users of the delivery systems should take great care to effectively communicate their needs for interaction with the system, as well as what multimedia material will be used in a presentation. Addressing these needs beforehand can significantly change the design of a multimedia delivery system and save the user a lot of trouble. Portability, flexibility, simplicity and cost are important factors in determining the correct configuration for delivery and control systems. A few guidelines for choosing the proper systems follow. Portable vs. fixed delivery systems Portable delivery systems can vary in size, depending on the number of devices the user wishes to incorporate.