Two prominent theories of multimedia (see Figure 8.3) (Mayer, 2001, Park and Hannafin, 1993) suggest a number of guidelines, which are summarized in Table 8.1. Park and Hannafin (1993) based their work on an extensive review of the research and proposed an overarching framework for interactive multimedia design using 20 design principles. Recently, Mayer’s (2001)
multimedia theory suggested seven design principles that focus specifically on the interaction of audio, text, and visuals in a number of controlled experiments. Table 8.1 provides the authors’ classification of combined multimedia design principles in the context of
cognitive load theory. Principles are placed in cell locations most directly related to their connotation with the purpose of showing potential connections between theories.