Preparation, Implementation and ...



Preparation, Implementation and Evaluation of Products for

The Signaling Solution, Inc

Multimedia Promotional CD-ROM

By

Smitha Edulakanti Mohan

Tuesday, November 16, 2005

Abstract

The Signaling Solution, Inc., a model railroading company headquartered at West Terre Haute, Indiana provides the latest technology at the best price for model railroad electronics. It was established by Mr. Bill Ataras in 1995. While the products provide high-technology to the problems and needs of the community, the community itself consists of users who typically have little if any interest in electronics and computer technology.

For many modelers technology represents a threat. They have very little understanding of how it all works. All they want is to enhance their model railroads. There is a need to keep the client in pace with the advanced technology. As the client is generally not a person involved with technology, there needs to be a strong mode of communication between the client and the manufacturer.

The proposed solution for this is the Interactive Multimedia Promotional CD. It has an incredible power to persuade and unlike the web, the navigation is instantaneous. It not only produces far more impressive illustrations, animations and video to hold the potential clients attention but also their attention is solely dedicated to TSSI and its products.

For a company with the intention of promoting themselves, the products and the services they offer, there is little that can vie with the style, appeal and ease of a promotional CD.

Report

The General Problem Statement

There is a need to keep the client in pace with the advanced technology in the field of model railroading. As the client is generally not a person involved with technology, there need to be a strong mode of communication between the client and the manufacturer.

Anyone who suspects or merely hopes that the products of The Signaling Solutions Inc. can help them do the things they want to do, will need to get through the following obstacles in order to make a "buy" decision.

1. Lack of acquaintance with the company’s product line as a whole and the individual elements

2. Lack of awareness of what each product can do for the purchaser

3. Lack of information of what the customer must do to install and use the product

4. Lack of detailed knowledge of the prototype systems and practices they are attempting to emulate

5. Fear of the unknown technology

6. Trepidation that their level of expertise is not sufficient to utilize the product

7. Apprehension that, if "it breaks", they won't be able to fix it

8. Fear that something will come along that will make their investment obsolete

9. Fear that the company’s products will not co-exist peacefully with products from other manufacturers

There is a need to dispel these fears and concerns as quickly and effectively as possible for the betterment of the company.

Objectives of the Project

The Objectives of the project include

1. Performing an in-depth investigation of TSSI products.

2. Classifying both the existing and the upcoming products based on their technical specifications and features.

3. Testing and evaluating the TSSI products.

4. Compile an owner’s manual for the products.

5. Presenting a user friendly website with an organized online ordering system.

6. Developing a design plan for creating the interactive CD-ROM and processing it in to the CD-ROM.

Proposed Solution

After an in-depth investigation of the TSSI products, the products were categorized according to their functionalities and specifications. This would help the consumer to get to their desired product easily. These products were tested for the NMRA conformance. An owner’s manual is complied which will present the features, the installation procedure, precautions and trouble shooting for the products in detail.

The designed Promotional CD-ROM contains an interactive and animated carte du jour which highlights companies press information in a stylish and outstanding way, as well as providing access to high resolution images, web links, press releases and PDFs.

For a company with the intention of promoting themselves, the products and the services that they offer, there is little that can vie with the style, appeal and ease of a promotional CD-ROM. A promotional CD-ROM offers an elegant medium to impress and educate the viewers. It can be used to disseminate information in a comprehensive and classy way. Liberated from the restrictions of the World Wide Web, a Promotional CD-ROM can contain video documentaries, animated and musical introductions and other 'bandwidth greedy” forms of visual entertainment not confined to that “those can only be experienced through a browser or modem”.

A simplest answer to why a CD goes as, the company or product can not only be displayed in an extremely impressive and informative way, but the distribution costs can also be dramatically cut. But why when there is a website already? Without the speed constraints, the CD-ROM has an incredible power to persuade and unlike the web, navigation is instantaneous. It not only produces far more impressive illustrations, animations and video to hold a potential clients attention, but also their attention is solely dedicated to organization and its products. It is no more just one click away from the competitors.

Descriptions of Methods Employed

All successful projects require advanced planning. TSSI product line is at a constant rate of growth and development. The following phases portray the various activities involved in the project.

1. Preparation for the Interactive Multimedia CD-ROM

2. Implementation of the Interactive Multimedia CD-ROM

3. Evaluation of the Interactive Multimedia CD-ROM

Phase 1: Preparation for the Interactive Multimedia CD-ROM

This was the first phase of the project. It includes activities like investigating the TSSI product the line, testing the products, updating the manuals, revamping the website with the new online transaction system. The following sections explain the first phase in detail.

Many new products are being introduced in the market by TSSI so the product line needs to be classified. After an in-depth investigation they have been classified into an assortment of categories such as Block detectors, Grade Cross Protection, Signal controllers, and Accessories.

The schematic flow chart for categorizing the products of TSSI are shown below [pic]

Figure 2: Schematic Flow Chart of the Products of TSSI

The new products along the upgraded versions of the existing products were tested in The Signaling Solution Inc., Lab. Tests for thermal stability, FCC compliance and certification and NMRA conformance will be carried out. Once the testing is completed the product is prepared to be launched.

Phase 2: Implementation of the Interactive Multimedia Promotional CD-ROM

In the first phase, the necessary tests are successfully carried out, the results were analyzed and the products were organized based on their characteristics, now the products need to be promoted. The main objective of the project is to promote the products through a CD presentation. These presentations are organized and presented in a format that is understood easily by the user. This CD-ROM not only serves the promotional purposes but also tends to be informative. It guides the user with the installation and maintenance procedures and also assists in trouble shooting.

Here the CD needs to be addressed to people who are new to the field of technology and it speaks about the concepts of model railroading products which are really very technical. So there was a need to create a basic template that is very close to the field of model railroading. Also the template has to be interactive so that the viewer can choose what he would need according to his requirements. So to satisfy all these conditions, the theme has to symbolize the model railroading system.

FLASH MX 2004 was the software used to design this interactive, multimedia Promotional CD-ROM. FLASH MX 2004 provided many advantages in designing the promotional CD. It increased the speed of the workflow by providing an option of directly importing media, including digital video, PDF and EPS files. Interactivity was added to the program with powerful Action scripting.

When planning for a presentation, be it a thirty second or one hour, there are some basic elements to consider such as:

1. The message  

2. The audience  

3. The basic method of conveying your message

All the above was taken into consideration before production begins. No matter what the message is, it is better to write it down before filming it, in order to make the process more organized.

The scripting of the message was a very simple outline containing, pictures, descriptions of scenes, actions and technical descriptions of each shooting session, music, etc. Promotional CD-ROM was produced by following few established guidelines. Here is a brief overview of production process.

Filming

Because streamed video needs to be highly compressed it was obligatory to be very vigilant when filming. All the mistakes which are aggravating to an audience in large format video are simply magnified when streaming video.  Movement is a killer for current compression codecs.  The technology is getting better every day, but current codecs still gave a hard time when compressing video with a lot of background or camera movement.  Steady shots with very little background movement and very good lighting were needed.  Zooms, fades, quick pans and jerky motions were the trouble spots.

When composing the shots, wide angle shots were avoided.  Close-ups or medium shots were preferred whenever possible, but again extreme close-ups were avoided. More care was taken with regard to the background. Minimum level was preferred. 

Editing

Once filming had been completed, the video was captured onto computer and editing began at the footage for CD-ROM, adding a soundtrack, transition effects and graphics wherever required. It was then possible to output the video stream to a number of suitable formats. The CD-ROMs have had the greatest success with the MPEG-1 format, which allows for superior quality, full motion, full screen video playback, although QuickTime and AVI, Real Video and Windows Media (also used for web broadcasting) were also considered for this project.

Authoring

During the editing process, the multimedia elements for the CD-ROM, including animation sequences, graphics, backgrounds etc were created. These elements were created from photos, text and other media that is collected either from the site of manufacturing the product or the product itself, as and where required. All of these graphics, animations, videos and sounds were then woven together into a stand-alone multimedia product using Macromedia Director, the industry standard multimedia authoring package. The entire CD-ROM is 'hard coded' in Macromedia's powerful multimedia language. The product is then extensively tested on a variety of computers.

Mastering

In this module special attention was given so that no any errors or omissions occur during the process, and it was ensured that ultimately everything goes according to plan and that the production is professional and error-free. Once it has been rechecked again for errors and the multimedia presentation is found to be satisfactory, the data file was ready to be burn into a CD.

The promotional CD-ROM is one of today's most powerful marketing tools. It has the ability to combine video, audio, animation, graphics and text in a compelling interactive presentation. The figure below depicts the implementation phase of the interactive multimedia promotional CD-ROM.

[pic]

Figure 4: Overview of the Implementation Phase

Of the Multimedia promotional CD-ROM

Phase 3: Evaluation of the Interactive Multimedia Promotional CD-ROM

This was the last phase of the project. The main purpose of evaluation is to improve the quality of the project by identifying its assets and drawbacks. It involves planning, gathering the information, summarizing it and comparing the standards.

A panel of committee was selected to review the CD-ROM. An evaluation form was submitted to each member and they were requested to fill in the form. Then their ratings are then collected and are further processed to interpret the results from them. The data is collected individually first. From the collected data, the mean, median and mode would be calculated for this and based on that the performance of the interactive multimedia CD-ROM can be analyzed.

Purpose and scope of the project

The scope of the evaluation depended on the evaluation's purpose and the information needs of its intended audience. The purpose determines the specific components of a program which should be evaluated and on the specific project objectives which are to be addressed.

Specifying the evaluation question

A good way to begin formulating evaluation questions is to carefully examine the instructional objectives; another source of questions is to anticipate problem areas concerning teaching the curriculum. Once the evaluation questions were developed, they were prioritized and examined in relation to the time and resources available. Once this was accomplished, the final set of evaluation questions was selected.

Develop a plan for data collection

The design and data collection plan was actually a roadmap for carrying out the evaluation. The means of data collection in this project is the evaluation form prepared based on the scope and purpose of the project.

Collect the data

Data was collected based on the plan developed in the previous step. The data was carefully recorded carefully so they can be tabulated and summarized during the analysis stage. Proper record keeping was important so that the data are not lost or misplaced.

The sample was composed of 8 people who were either related to the field of computers or arts or graphics. They were randomly selected. All the people involved in the study viewed the Interactive Multimedia Promotional CD-ROM, understood the questionnaire and gave their opinion.

Analyze the data

This step involves tabulating, summarizing, and interpreting the collected data in such a way as to interpret the results. The data was analyzed using appropriate descriptive measures such as mean and median. Each question responded to by ratings ranging from 0 to 5 was tabulated and the data was analyzed. This analysis led to the findings discussed in the next chapter.

Interpret the data

The data we have now is the one that is thoroughly processed using descriptive statistical measures. This now defines the success of the project. To interpret the data the mean, median and mode were calculated of the sample of the data. Though all the three are measure of the central tendency, each measure summarizes the sample differently; this can be noticed in the table 4. The three measures are described below. However, mean is generally regarded as a fairer measure of central tendency, which is also easier to deal with mathematically.

The following section is the evaluation form designed as a means to collect the data and process it. These questions were designed to asses the perception of the viewer who is not related to electronics when they view the CD-ROM. The form was designed to be answered quickly and easily. All information could be indicated by a check mark.

Data Analysis

In the evaluation process, the panel of review which included 9 people, who are not professionally into electronics, viewed the promotional CD. Their feedback was collected, using the evaluation form.

There were 10 characteristics that were questioned in the form. Based on the ratings provided by the panel of review, the data was tabulated. Figure 6 is the tabulated form of the data. And the respective bar graph is depicted below the table.

|Command Attention |4 |4 |5 |

|Command Attention |3.9 |4 |4 |

|Cater to heart & head |3.7 |4 |4 |

|Call to action |3.4 |3 |3 |

|Clarity of the message |3.9 |4 |4 |

|Communicate a benefit |3.8 |4 |4 |

|Create a trust |3.9 |4 |4 |

|Informative |4.4 |5 |5 |

|Relativity of the theme and concept |4.1 |5 |5 |

|Interactivity of the presentation |4.1 |4 |5 |

|Multimedia Skill Level |4.2 |4 |5 |

[pic]

Figure 7: Central tendency calculation of the sample data and graphical representation

The mean has been converted into percentages so as to ease the understanding of the reader. This is shown in figure 8. The percentages thus calculated were shown graphically.

|Characteristic |Mean |Percentage |

|Command Attention |3.9 |78 |

|Cater to heart & head |3.7 |74 |

|Call to action |3.4 |68 |

|Clarity of the message |3.9 |78 |

|Communicate a benefit |3.8 |76 |

|Create a trust |3.9 |78 |

|Informative |4.4 |88 |

|Relativity of the theme and concept |4.1 |82 |

|Interactivity of the presentation |4.1 |82 |

|Multimedia Skill Level |4.2 |84 |

[pic]

Figure 8: Mean converted into percentage and the graphical representation

Summary

The purpose of evaluation is to improve the Interactive Multimedia Promotional CD-ROM. Evaluation not only measures the efficiency but also guides in improving it. Based on this evaluation study, the major area that needs concentration was to make in more interesting and appealing to the viewer. The interactivity and multimedia concepts presented in the CD were appreciated. Viewers found it very informative.

But there were steps taken to improve the CD-ROM in order to improve it. The font used improved for lessening the strain with regard to readability. The theme was modified little bit to maintain the visual effect through out the presentation. At the end of the presentation, viewers were provided an option of having glances through a collection of pictures regarding to model railroading, and also real railroading which can suggest the scenery look for their model railroading. This was the added attraction provided for the users.

Conclusion:

As computer literacy has grown vividly, the CD-ROM has become a feasible product for mass distribution. So whether it is for presentation at next trade show or for mass mailing, the CD-ROM is positively the leading format for promotion. The new CD technology gives a sophisticated twist to the business by replacing current conservative marketing materials and sales catalogs. This new technology showcases the company’s dealings with videos, photos and Web links on one organized and easy to use CD.

References

Beach,D.,&Alvager,K. (1992). Handbook for scientific and technical research.

NJ: Prentice Hall.

Retrieved on Jan 2005

CD and DVD Multimedi Presentations. Corporate and Promotional CDRoms, Business cards. Retrieved from

Retrieved on March 2005.

Dictionary of marketing terms – American Marketing Association.

Retrieved from,

Retrieved on February 2005.

Esta de Fossard, (1998). How to: Design and Produce Radio Serial Drama for Social Development - A Program Manager’s Guide, Center Publications.

Retrieved on April 2005

Kault, D( 2003). Statistics with Common Sense.

Greenwood Press.

Retrieved on September 2005.

Kooker, W and Robb, P (1982). Introduction to Descriptive Statistics.

Charles C Thomas Publisher.

Retrieved on September 2005

Multimedia. The American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Retrieved from

Retrieved on March 2005

Philips International, Inc., (1988). Compact Disc-Interactive, A designers Overview.

NY: McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Retrieved on February 2005.

Appendix A

Evaluation form of the Interactive Multimedia Promotional CD-ROM for TSSI

Evaluation of the Interactive Multimedia Promotional

CD-ROM for “The Signaling Solution, Inc.”

| Information |

| | |

|Name Of Panel Member reviewing the CD-ROM : | |

|Date: | |

| |

|Review Guidelines |

| |

|Complete this review, using the following scale: NA = Not Applicable |

|1 = Unsatisfactory |

|2 = Marginal |

|3 = Meets Requirements |

|4 = Exceeds Requirements |

|5 = Exceptional |

|Evaluation |

| |

| |

|(5) = Exceptional |

|(4) = Exceeds Requirements |

|(3) = Meets Requirements |

|(2) = Marginal |

|(1) = |

|Unsatisfactory |

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|Command attention |

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|Cater to the heart and the head |

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|Call to action |

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|Clarity of the message |

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|Communicate a benefit |

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|Create a trust |

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|Informative |

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|Relativity of the theme and concept |

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|Interactivity of the presentation |

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|Multimedia Skill level |

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|Additional Comments: |

Appendix B

Screenshots of the Multimedia Promotional CD

Welcome Screen

[pic]

The home screen

[pic]

Presentation Background

[pic]

Choosing the detectors

[pic]

Choosing the Grade Crossing Protection

[pic]

Choosing the Signal controllers

[pic]

Choosing the Accessories

[pic]

The video installation

[pic]

-----------------------

The Signaling Solution, Inc. Legacy Products

Detectors

Grade Cross Protection

Signal Controllers

Accessories

BD 8 Block Detector

BD 16 Block Detector

Master Signal Controller

Opto - Isolators

Detectable Wheel Sets

Signal Mounting Adapters

Grade Crossing Expander GCX

Grade Crossing Controller GCC

PROMOTIONAL

CD-ROM

MASTERING

AUTHORING

EDITING

FILMING

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