Early in the project, before the origination of assets has begun, a product specification needs to be drawn up by the interactive designer which flowcharts and itemises every screen image, every instance of screen text and every consequence of user events. Part of any specification must be a file-naming convention which should be agreed between the interactive designer and the programmers. The product specification should contain a specification for graphics to serve as a check list for the artistic director, the file transfer manager, and programming. The specification for sound should serve as a checklist for the sound engineer, the file transfer manager and programming. Included in the product specification document should be notes on file formats, parameters (such as dimensions, duration, and resolution) and projected file sizes (in kilobytes, say).
The product specification document should be designed to cross-reference with other documents produced, such as flowcharts and storyboards.
It may contain the following:The product specification document should contain the software design brief which results from meetings between the interactive designer and the programmer. It will be based on information supplied by the interactive designer about file lists, file names, formats and sizes, screen text, voice-over scripts, audio-visual sequence scripts, titles, captions. It is useful also to illustrate the brief with flowcharts to explain program functionality and user interactions.
The product specification document should contain the hardware design brief which results from meetings between the interactive designer and the programmer. It will be based on ...
The product specification document should contain any industrial design brief which results from meetings between the interactive designer and the programmer. It will be based on...
A good product specification will result in better product design, clear task goals, and a greater liklihood of working to schedule and within budget.
Poor product specification can result in team 'drift', with goals being hard to set, and problems emerging late in the production process affecting all stages, causing delays and extra expense.