Instant Multimedia: A new challenge for cultural heritage 
Nicoletta Di Blas, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Paolo Paolini, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Davide Bolchini, University of Lugano, Switzerland
The Cultural Heritage domain is traditionally associated to long term values and content; by consequence, traditionally, we are used to think that "editorial products", associated with it, have a long life and deserve a long-term well planned effort. Most museums catalogues, publications and even web sites and multimedia applications follow this pattern: they need a sizable span of time to be developed, a sizable effort and relevant financial resources.
Very recently a new trend is slowly emerging: budget is shrinking, new opportunities (needs) of communication are springing up, technologies and devices are rapidly changing. The consequence of the above is that a new approach must be taken: "instant multimedia" (analogous to "instant books") means that in a short span of time, with little budget a good quality multimedia application must be produced, possibly involving several technological channels (from Web to mobile and iPOD).
Low budget means that the production can be repeated often; short span of time means that opportunities can be taken when they appear; good quality means that the impact upon users is granted.
Instant multimedia imply an "instant design method" (design must be accomplished fast), an "instant workflow" (every one in the team should know what to do), and an "instant technology" (fast and easy to use and reliable).
In this mini-workshop we will:
- introduce a new kind of instant multimedia approach: QST, Quick Story-Telling
- describe QST’s simple design, well defined workflow and robust, reliable engine.
- demonstrate the use of the engine ("Onethousandandonestories") with concrete examples.
We have developed more than 12 applications using this technique, for presenting our own projects as well as for cultural institutions (among which, the Syrian ministry for Tourism and Culture).
Mini-Workshop: Instant Multimedia [Design]
Keywords: instant multimedia, multichannel applications, design methodology
