Evaluating Software Engineering Modeling Concepts in the Context of Narrative Systems Design

Research has shown that the design and creation of interactive multimedia systems is a difficult and challenging task. Most interactive multimedia systems differ from conventional computer systems by being functionally more complex and by addressing a wider and broader range of inexperienced or novice users. The increased complexity in functionality is often a result of integration, time variation, and navigation. Furthermore, years of research within software engineering shows that improvements in software design processes require systematic work practices that involve well-founded methods. This paper reports from an empirical study of a conventional software analysis and design for the design of an interactive multimedia system. The primary purpose of the study is to investigate software engineering concepts for the design of interactive multimedia systems. The actual activities and concepts of the method are empirically evaluated against a typical desktop-based interactive multimedia system and weakness and strength of the analysis and design are discovered. It is concluded that more software engineering concepts are not well suited for interactive multimedia systems design. The main reason is that more of the concepts are intended for the analysis and design of work processes in a given, specific work environment. However, the rigid focus on work processes and tasks is useless since the complexity of the future system is not hidden in work tasks. The challenge of designing a coherent and affective interactive multimedia system lacks conceptual support and foundation. It is indicated that future analysis and design methods need to address other aspects of systems design than previous methods. 1