A study on the evaluation and selection of multimedia authoring tools using the AHP

This study addresses the evaluation criteria of multimedia authoring tools (MATs), the way which decision-maker can exclude outlier matrix from group using the concept of the compatibility index, and how AHP can be applied to the selection of MATs in a group decision-making environment. The AHP technique allows an evaluator to quantity the relative importance of elements at each hierarchy and to calculate the composite relative weights for each product (i.e. MATs). This decision process allows setting to priority of the MATs based on the AHP. The results indicated that technical ability of MATs was the most significant factor in affecting their decision, trailed by managerial efficiency and vendor support. To the experts, multimedia data support was the less important than development interface. Also, the results indicated that product A(0.510) was their first choice, trailed by product C(0.286) and B(0.204). Assessing the composite relative weights revealed that expert group's members were consistent with the rankings of decision variables (evaluation criteria variables) statistically in selecting their MATs. Therefore, we believed that expert group's members have achieved sufficient agreement to permit the use of geometric mean to average the group's preference without obscuring the differences of individual opinions.