Evaluation and communication techniques in multimedia product design for “on the net university education”

We consider how the quality of software — in this case multimedia “on the net” — is influenced by several factors that are exogenous to a programming code. The analysis of a layout, a dynamics, a content, a structure, facilitates the acceptance of multimedia products. In other words, the objective here is to present the advantages of having a method for the evaluation of multimedia usability, the results of which can be used to improve the design of interactive applications with a certain level of complexity, such as distance university education. This paper presents the communication recourses and the methodology employed in the design of educational multimedia packages for the first virtual campus of an open university based in Barcelona. It also explains circumstances that affected directly or indirectly its creation.