Multimedia applications like games, video, audio and more are common on affordable embedded devices due to advances in technology. Both customers and designers value factors like power consumption, performance, quality, size, lifetime and cost. The document discusses the design flow for embedded systems including hardware/software partitioning, implementation, verification and more. It also covers techniques to increase productivity like CAD tools, optimization methods for scheduling, memory and communication. Challenges include minimizing power consumption while meeting performance and quality demands.