Support materials

How to... guides

  • How to take notes in the real world Download PDF

    Recording what is said in a meeting with a client is really important. This guide gives you some tips to make sure your note taking captures all the important information.

  • How to analyse a multimedia product Download PDF

    Understanding how multimedia is used well on the Internet is an important step in developing your own product. This guide helps you focus on the key aspects of a multimedia product and identify what works and what doesn’t.

  • How to search on the Internet Download PDF

    Searching the Internet can be time-consuming and unproductive if you don’t do it right! This guide gives you some hints and tips for using search engines effectively so you find what you are looking for quickly and efficiently.

  • How to assess an audience Download PDF

    Your multimedia product is being created for a group of people who will want to visit it - the audience. Understanding who these people are and what sort of website they will want to see is a key step in building a successful product. This guide gives you some hints about understanding your audience.

  • How to undertake a competitor review Download PDF

    All successful companies know that they are in competition with other successful companies, particularly in the world of multimedia. Understanding the competition is really important. This guide shows you how you can see who else is in the business and what material they are producing.

  • How to manage a simple project Download PDF

    Learning how to manage a project is an important part of getting ready to work in the IT industry. This guide takes you through some simple steps to help you to plan your own project, and identify areas where things could go wrong so you can keep your project on schedule and finish your product on time.

  • How to create a Gantt chart in a spreadsheet Download PDF

    A Gantt chart is a visual way of representing a project schedule and monitoring progress. This guide shows you how to use a spreadsheet program to create a simple Gantt chart that you can use to manage your own project.

  • How to use storyboarding to plan a multimedia product Download PDF

    Storyboarding is a planning tool that allows you to show the steps through the development of a multimedia product, such as a website or video. This guide shows you how to start the storyboarding process using cards or post-it notes and then move to a presentation software application so all the team can be involved.

  • How to find ideas for design Download PDF

    Deciding on a design for your multimedia product can be one of the hardest decisions. This guide shows you how to look at existing website designs to get some ideas about what would appeal to your audience.

  • How to create a showreel using Audacity Download PDF

    A showreel is a compilation audio file that features a selection of music acts from a music agent’s books. It is used to demonstrate the musicians and persuade radio stations and recording studios to use the music. This guide shows you how to make a showreel using the sound editing package Audacity.

  • How to compress a file Download PDF

    Uploading material on to a website can be quite difficult if the size of the file you are using (images, audio or video) is too large. File compression is the name given to reducing the file size by using a codec. This guide explains how file compression works and shows you the best way to compress your files before uploading them to your website.

  • How to choose the right clips Download PDF

    When making a video or movie, it is really important to select the right clips to fit the message you are hoping to convey. This might be a promotional message or you might be trying to fit a video to a music track. This guide helps you choose the right clips in a video editing package – the first step in creating your professional video content.

  • How to edit video with transitions and effects Download PDF

    When you have selected your clips and placed them in a timeline in your video editing package, the next step is to choose transitions and special effects that enhance your movie. This guide shows you what sort of transitions and effects you can use and how to create a professional final product.

  • How to communicate with clients Download PDF

    Talking with clients and keeping them up to date with progress is an important part of managing a project. Although in this project, you won’t have opportunity to talk with clients, this guide will help you to understand this process and give you some hints for when you are dealing with clients in the future.

  • How to use basic HTML Download PDF

    Website builders create their websites in HyperText Markup Language - HTML. This guide introduces you to how HTML works. Although you will probably be building your website in a web design package, understanding HTML tags is the first step towards professional website design.

  • How to write for the web Download PDF

    Writing for the web isn’t like writing an essay. You have to write concisely with about half the words you would normally use, and you have to space out your writing so people will want to read it. This guide gives you some hints about the best way of attracting and keeping attention on your site by writing the content well.

  • How to upload images Download PDF

    Every website uses images, and yours will too. This guide takes you through the process of finding images, understanding copyright, and reducing the image file size so you can upload it easily.

  • How to manage a Content Management System (CMS) Download PDF

    A Content Management System is a system that manages all the material that goes into a website – images, text, audio and video. This guide explains how a CMS works and what it allows the web designer to do.

  • How to add audio to a website Download PDF

    You will be adding some audio to your website, and you will have to decide whether to embed it (so it plays as soon as someone visits your site) or to allow the user to download it and play it using a hyperlink. This guide explains how to prepare your audio for uploading and how to either embed it or hyperlink it.

  • How to upload video to a website Download PDF

    Adding video to a website is a similar process to adding audio – you can either embed it or add it as a hyperlink. This guide explains the different video formats you can use on the web, and shows you how to embed your video so it plays as soon as someone visits the site, or hyperlink it so visitors can choose to download it.

  • How to collect and analyse feedback on a project Download PDF

    The final step in your project will be to ask users to test your website and provide some feedback. This guide gives you some hints on how to collect feedback in a way that is easy for the tester and easy for you to analyse.

Other documents

  • Activity checklist Download Word doc

    Use this checklist to make sure all the content you need for your website is ready for the integration stage of the project.

  • Template Download Word doc

    Use this template to record all the research you carry out into existing websites and into the potential audience for your own website.