Monday, April 4, 2011

EPJ Multimedia Critique 1


I looked at the multimedia presentation, “Choosing to Stay, Fighting to Rebuild” by the New York Times for this critique. I definitely think the content of the project is appropriate for multimedia, for I don’t think it would have been as strong just presented as still images. I think the audio was a necessary component to the story, as it allowed viewers to hear the people tell their stories about how they were affected by the earthquake in Haiti. I liked how the creators used a combination of the people speaking in their native language as well as the voices of translators so the viewers could understand what was being said. I also thought that the use of natural sound was very effective in the story and used appropriately.

Overall, the interactivity of the project is pretty good, except for the fact that it starts playing automatically when viewers first view it on the page. The user has control over when they want to pause the project and if they wan to view it full screen. The navigation is somewhat unclear though, for viewers have to press the back button in order to get back to the gallery featuring other multimedia projects. The design of the project is simple and laid out in a way that is pleasing to users. The layout, color scheme and overall presentation fit very well with the theme of the project. I think the creators chose to go with a design theme of simplicity so the project could speak for itself and viewers wouldn’t be distracted by other elements when watching it.

The project is also high in technical quality, with clear images and audio that is easy for viewers to understand. One thing I would change about the project though, is how long the images stay on the screen for. I think right now they aren’t up there long enough, there were times when things felt a little rushed and I wanted to look at some of the pictures longer. It also would have been nice to have seen the creators use text in the lower thirds of photos that briefly stated who was speaking throughout the project. Instead, the creators put a slide at the end where they listed the voices and translators in the project but it was unclear who was speaking when.

Here is a link to the project: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/04/12/world/americas/13FORTNATIONAL_SS/index.html

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