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1. PARTIES
INVOLVED
"Visualisations are most effective
when their layout (...) contain visual elements that are associated with
common perceptual experience. Previous exposure to similar conditions
lays the groundwork for a quicker and deeper comprehension of a visualisation's
geometric features."
(Penny
Rheigans and Chris Landreth, 1999)
To find a
`common perceptual experience' for designers and clients, we need to understand
their previous knowledge, expectations and needs.
There are
specific ways in which the designer will communicate with the client,
with other designers, or with an audience. The needs of a designer are
quite different from the needs of a client, or the audience.
Meeting these
needs improves the performance of the designers, the quality of the product
and the client satisfaction. Good communication with the Client will translate
into accurate goal definition. Good communication with the members of
the team will provide a smooth flow of information and simplify the management
of the project. Costly misunderstandings will be avoided, and future projects
will benefit from recording the details of a design.
There are
as many types of designers and clients as there is variety of instances
in which multimedia is used, in any profession or environment. Each has
different sets of priorities, but many of the mental processes are the
same.
The designers
/ producers
Any individual
involved in the design and implementation of a multimedia product will
be in a position where the communication of abstract concepts and ideas
(such as marketing strategies or the construction of virtual spaces) is
essential to the proper execution of the product. Designers need to understand
the Client's needs, gain approval for the elements of design and convey
information to the design team for improvement and implementation of the
product.
"Designers"
include animators, web designers, graphic artists, information designers,
project managers, programmers, editors, freelance artists...in short,
anyone involved in the production of digital work. There are differences
between design specifics, however, which the client will need to understand:
Designers
involved with Internet technologies have little say on the user-end technology,
and are bound by the restrictions of data-transfer speeds on the Web.
Their work has to be flexible to accommodate all sorts of ethnical, technological
and literate backgrounds. The content has to be concise, direct and engaging,
and the overall product needs to be distinguishable from millions of other
Web Sites. Concepts of navigation through information need to be considered,
and the interface between man and computer becomes a major design task.
Designers
involved in the production of CDRoms and interactive media (educational
CD's, kiosks, catalogues) deal with a very different set of problems.
The format in which the product is presented to the final audience is
well defined. The computer power (processing speed, sound capabilities)
and the operating system will be determining factors in the design. Bandwidth
is not a problem, and lavish imagery and media can be used. Navigation
will normally be less of an issue. The aim is to provide the viewer with
a more complete `experience'.
Animators
(2D and 3D), digital video editors, special effects designers and others
involved in visual motion narratives have other worries. Their medium
is (generally) well defined in the output through TV, cinema or the computer
monitor. Their concerns will be more in relation to the narrative of the
work, the imagery and the quality of animation, the relationship between
motion and sound and the (linear) cohesion of the piece.
The client
The client
of the project is the individual or persons in behalf of whom the project
is being produced. The client can be an individual or a committee, from
a professional background as varied as there are projects. There will
be occasions in which the designer him/herself will be the client and
instigator of the project.
It is important
to establish a common language with the client from the start, to achieve
more effective designs and avoid misunderstandings. A varying degree of
education will need to take place from both sides to aid the development
of a common language. The designer will need to learn the verbal and visual
language of the client, and the client will need to be educated on the
concepts and characteristics of multimedia products.
The personal
and professional background of a client is varied - from the grain producer
who wants to inform his colleagues of stock prices over the Web, to Software
developers who need an engaging presentation of their latest product.
They all have the same basic need: to understand what the designer and
his product will do for them, what the product will look like, and a justification
of the cost.
The advancement
of technology in multimedia has widened the gap between those exposed
to the technology and those who aer not. Designers are on the priviledged
position of being exposed to the latest advancements of technology through
their work, which can often be incomprehensible by the Client. THe number
One rule is never to assume how much your Client understand. Offer them
a quick introduction to the terms, concepts and processes involved and
a more fluid communication will flourish.
Secondly,
the designers should educate him/herself on the terminology used inthe
client's industry; often, parallels can be found to events or elements
that take place in the design process, making it easier to explain new
concepts to the Client, by relating them to an experience they are already
familiar with.
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