Enough with the long pages of text! Now on to some samples of what the multimedia experience will be like. The project is still in its early stage, so little has been collected to represent the inductees. However, this page has been included to demonstrate the amazing interpretive possibilities that computers can offer. In each section, I have included some samples of the multimedia device and descriptions of a visitor's experience.
Please click on one of the sections below to explore the world of multimedia.
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This category represents anything that the visitor will hear. Sounds can bring back memories from the visitor's younger days. Sound also adds another dimension to otherwise static pictures. Look at the picture below. What kind of impact does it have on you?
Now click the sound icon below, scroll back up so you can see the train picture again, and wait for your browser to play the sound.
How did you feel about the picture when the sound was played? Although the picture does not move, the sound of the train has an emotional effect on visitors. Sounds are an effective way to connect visitors with the time period in which the inductees lived. Music and sounds add realism to interactive exhibit. Directional speakers or headphones will be used to minimize interference with other exhibits in the Hall of Fame that also produce sound.
Here is an example that combines music and sound. Close your eyes and listen. Does it provoke an emotional response, even without a picture on the screen?
Sound is an essential part of the multimedia experience, and will be heavily relied upon when creating the interpretive computer kiosks.
Pictures will probably be the primary means used to communicate with the visitor. For many of the inductees, static pictures and words are the only sources we have that describe the people and their lives. "A picture is worth a thousand words." It is a saying that interpreters take very seriously. If a picture can describe something better than words, the picture is almost always used. Visitors can comprehend difficult subjects and understand complex stories far easier by using visuals as compared to reading text. Pictures, like sounds and music, are also used to stimulate an emotional response.
Take a look at the picture below. What kind of feelings does it invoke?
This is an exhibit in the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame museum that interprets the devastating fires that swept over the state, caused by the major clear-cutting of forests. The scene has a definite visual impact.
The pictures used will also help visitors to identify with the inductees themselves. Hopefully, visitors will realize that the inductees were just people like themselves, who had devoted their lives to environmental causes. Pictures will help to bring the inductees to life in the eyes of the visitor.
This is a picture of John Muir. Pictures will play a huge role in bridging the gap between the inductees and the visitors of today.
The text is perhaps secondary to what is done visually and with sound. However, text is a necessity. It will be used as titles and sub-titles, to transition from each section, will provide instructions for the visitor, and will include quotes and stories about the inductees. The text will be kept to a minimum in most cases. It will have a similar format, including font type, font size, font color, and layout, throughout the various sections of the computer program.
Some visitors will prefer reading to the other more interactive aspects of the computer program. In addition, a few visitors will desire to learn more in-depth information about each of the inductees, including accomplishments, education, work experience, and other biographical information. Although these visitors will probably be in the minority, a computer system allows us to include several learning styles.
The most effective use of text, I believe, will be the quotes from the inductees. Read the quote below:
Fred J. Schmeeckle |
Fred Schmeeckle wrote those words about the land that today is called Schmeeckle Reserve... the natural area where the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame stands today. Although text will be kept to a minimum to hold the interest of the majority of visitors, it is an essential element to tie the multimedia experience together.
Incorporating moving pictures into a computer kiosk system is an innovative way of attracting and holding a visitor's attention. Quick (1-2 minute) video vignettes about each inductee will introduce them to the visitor in an effective and exciting way. In some cases, video already exists about the inductee, which can be incorporated into the touch screen computers. In most cases, however, video shots do not exist of the inductees. For these, we will be creating a video experience with the historic places the inductee may have a connection to, or even developing characters to represent the inductees. The videos will serve as our primary connection between the visitor and the inductees.
Currently, capturing video and digitizing it is a complex process and takes up an incredible amount of space on computers. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has recently purchased a DVD authoring system. This will allow us to record and playback full-screen movies on the touch screen computer systems. We will be working closely with professional videographers on campus to create movies that will be entertaining, informative, and accurate.
Due to the limitations of space on this web site and the great amount of memory that movies take up, an actual example of a high-resolution, full-screen video cannot be included here. However, a low-resolution movie is located below. It's only about ten seconds long, but will take awhile to load, especially if you are using a dial-up connection. Click on the movie projector icon to take a look.
This is part of a snake program that I presented at the Sheboygan Marsh County Park. Again, it is not representative of the quality of video that will be included on the Hall of Fame computers. However, it demonstrates how intrinsically effective moving pictures are in an exhibit.
Although the most time consuming, videos are an exciting addition to the computer kiosks that will hopefully help to connect the visitors with the Hall of Fame inductees.
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