Graphics and multimedia can be powerful tools for helping users understand
numbers and concepts quickly and accurately. But graphics and multimedia content
also make pages load more slowly. And graphics display at a lower resolution
online than they do in print. So use them, but use them carefully.
Use Graphics To
- Provide visual emphasis and draw attention to key information
- Help users visualize data, relationships, processes and concepts
- Help users see trends, summarize information, or make comparisons
- Help users remember information
- Contribute to the tone and feel of your site
- Provide a context for your data
Follow these suggestions for
optimizing
your graphics.
Use Multimedia and Animations To
- show transitions
- show change over time
- help users visualize in three dimensions
- allow users to interact with the content
For example, on a website about drug abuse, the design team could
create a Flash animation that allows users to see the effect of various
drugs or drug dosages on the body.
Use a storyboard to plan key frames of your animations beforehand. The more
carefully you plan, the less time you'll spend re-coding and re-drawing.
Multimedia can be expensive to produce and maintain. Users may also have to
download plug-ins in order to view multimedia content, which they may or may
not be willing or able to do.
Ultimately, you should only use multimedia when its value outweighs its cost—both
to you and to users. Allow users to skip it if they wish. And make sure that
users can control the pace and the direction of the multimedia if they do choose
to view it.
Video
Video is especially bandwidth intensive, and when downloaded it can hog resources
on the user's machine.
If you really need to use video, make sure you take short, close-in shots,
and use a tripod. If possible, use a monochrome background, to facilitate compression.
When you edit the video, don't use transitions—they'll increase your file
size. Break the video up into smaller segments if possible.
