Glossary » Multimedia
algorithm animation
algorithms are the formal procedures for performing some computational task, such as the procedure to sort a set of numbers. An algorithm animation is a graphical display of process over time (auditory cues are also quite common). Algorithm animations are…
Read more »anticipation
in animation, preparation before an action so that the user has some foreshadowing of the action and can more effectively interpret the action. For instance, when a character runs away, the character will back off slightly in the opposite direction…
Read more »auditory feedback
sounds in response to user activity, such as a click after a keypress, a whoosh accompanying opening and closing windows, or a klunk when a file is deleted. Useful as redundant reinforcement of activities and for those who are visually…
Read more »auditory I/O
sounds used for input and output, which may include speech, musical sounds, naturalistic sounds, and artificial waveforms. Sound as output has the advantage of being accessible to the visually impaired, of being heard even the user needs to be looking…
Read more »auditory menus
a list of choices presented verbally, as in a telephone answering system, e.g.: “Press 1 to order brochures. Press 2 to report a maintenance problem. Press 3 for more options.”
Read more »augmented reality
systems that annotate physical objects and environments by displaying into the environment rather than on an independent display device. Typical display mechanisms include projectors that project displays onto physical desktops or head-mounted displays that are semitranslucent, allowing overlays to be…
Read more »bat
a flying mouse; an input device that permits pointing to objects in 3-dimensional space by moving the bat around in the air, similar in spirit to the use of a mouse to point to objects in 2-dimensional space.
Read more »binocular display
also stereoscopic display; a display that is composed of 2 separate displays which are directed separately to the left and right eyes. The viewpoint is slightly different for each, reflecting the slightly different view each eye would have when embedded…
Read more »closed captions
a visual text view of audio that is in a sound byte or video clip. Closed captions are an excellent provision for the hearing impaired, for nonnative speakers who may find written language easier to understand than spoken language, and…
Read more »cone tree
a way of displaying hierarchical data (such as org charts or directory structures) in 3 dimensions. Branches from any node are spread out in a cone. This allows a denser layout than traditional 2-dimensional diagrams, though nodes may be obscured.…
Read more »content blueprint
a specification for the content that will be needed in creating a website or multimedia presentation. The blueprint specifies every page or screen and what components are needed for each. A typical way to specify the necessary elements is to…
Read more »cut scene
a brief presentation, usually a video, used between 2 interactive segments of a multimedia title, such as between 2 levels in a game.
Read more »dataglove
a glove with sensors to detect hand position and orientation, and finger position, used to provide 3-dimensional input, especially in virtual reality (VR) systems.
Read more »depth perception
the experience of perceiving a third dimension of depth into a computer screen. For instance, windows add a certain depth by having shadows, and buttons indicate their dimensionality by having beveled edges.
Many different graphical qualities can act as depth…
Read more »described video
or descriptive video or audio captioning; provides audio descriptions of what appears in a video. Just as closed captions provide display text corresponding to the audio in a video, described video enables someone to hear what is being portrayed visually.…
Read more »dome tree
like a disk tree, a representation of hierarchical information with the primary node at the center and each successive descendant falling on concentric rings spanning out from the center along a 3-dimensional dome. The dome allows relationships to be indicated…
Read more »earcon
an auditory icon; a recognizable sound used as a symbol. An example of the use of an earcon is to play sounds as rollovers to clarify the meaning of unlabeled or abstract buttons.
Read more »egocentric viewpoint
a virtual reality or immersive environment that is displayed into a person, by projecting it directly to a person’s senses with, for instance, a head-mounted display and headphones, as opposed to displaying the environment onto screens external to the person.…
Read more »entry tunnel
a sequence of screens that a user must proceed through upon entering a website and before being given access to the full range of options on the website. An entry tunnel is usually used to force users to view advertising,…
Read more »exit tunnel
a sequence of screens the user views when they leave a website (or any media presentation), parallel to the use of an entry tunnel to enter a website, but much harder to enforce on the web than an entry tunnel.…
Read more »exocentric viewpoint
a virtual reality or immersive environment that is displayed around a person, for instance, by projecting scenes onto adjacent walls, rather than displaying it directly to someone’s senses (e.g. with a head-mounted display).
Read more »foley button
a button that plays a short sound used for sound effects, e.g. laughter, applause, giggling, coughing, crunching, wind, door-slams, etc.
Read more »follow through and overlapping action
in animation, certain parts of an animation must keep moving even after the main action has completed, e.g. when a woman swings her head, her hair continues moving after she stops moving her head, and this hair motion may continue…
Read more »frame rate
the speed that an animation or video is displayed, specifically: the number of frames (individual pictures making up the animation or video) that are displayed per unit time. For instance, televisions display 60 frames per second (also called the “refresh…
Read more »gaze awareness
the ability to tell what someone is looking at by watching the direction of their eyes. In videoconferencing systems, gaze awareness may be an important aspect of effectively communicating. For videoconferencing, gaze awareness is a more relaxed design principle than…
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