Realizing Digital Convergence

This course combines lectures on industry structure, market analysis, and business models with the development of a working prototype and business case for a multimedia application. The application will be an innovative digital magazine that combines the possibilities of the Internet and mobile communications with traditional print content.

It is now common to receive an e-mail notification of a new release--which can be musical, literary, informational, or artistic--that has an embedded link to additional content or a download site. The course project will extend this model to mobile communications using SMS (short message service) and MMS (multimedia message service) capabilities, demonstrating possibilities for providing a variety of content while generating new revenue streams.

The project integrates three primary approaches: designing usable new media by focusing on users and usability, developing successful products and services by identifying revenue streams and managing costs, and understanding the market context with an explicit realization of the differences in mobile and Internet communications worldwide. Lectures and project development will be coordinated with a team from the Center for Digital Technology and Management in Munich, Germany. The schedule may vary across the semester. We expect to have a combination of intensive interactive meetings during September 2004, class and working group meetings coordinated with CDTM during the first half of the semester, and additional meetings during the second half of the semester.