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week10.pdf
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C H A P T E R I S • D E S I G N I N G A C C U R . 4 I E U A l n trvittr r
r c u ~ e u u r t n
v ~ y
I 4 4 8
P A R T 5 • Q U A L I T Y A S S U R A N C E A N D I M P L E M E N T A T I O N
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DIpECTIONS F O R MAflKING
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he bl ac
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k m a r ~s t hat f~~~t heoirol
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r
' T~ l a t IS $I1C'f
U 2Sf~10 ~
to Enter. T ~ ~ ~ ~e i O C ~ O ~ i
Q e c
o m late I.
Erase P
Y _.
cl earily any answeryou wish to change--make no stray marks.
~ ~I
Euampies of P R O P E R marks
Examples of I M P R O P E R marks
~s ~
i ~ ~ ~ 0 0 ~
N t
I~: ~
c c
et ]dts the order a
descri rion of each o the h
a m l
v e just taken o
a the presidency of Elsinore Industries," says
n u m b e r s f r
y
P 1. What levels of people do you
rimaril serve in your work?
~ managers
~i li
ldt, the price per item, a n d the quantity of each kit ordered. O
f R o s e N . Krantz. "R'a'ze actually part o
f a small cottage industry
~ ~ s e , w e also include the subtotals of Idt charges, shipping
that manufactures toy villages for children seven yeazs old a n d up.
' supervisors; forepersons
~
III
Q O u r a n y b a m l e u consist of vazious l
d u that will build w
h a t chit-
charges, a n d the total thax the warehouse o
w e s us. N
o sales ta~c
to toy other salaried
- Q
Brea w a n t f r o m intexlocldng plastic cubes, essentials such as city
is added, becausrthey resell w h a t w e send t
h e m
stores design
hourly Q
hall, the police starion, ffie g a s station, a
n d a hot d
o g sta¢d. E
a c h kit
in all 5 0 states. I
w a n t y o u to help u
s
a computerized
for volunteers
'. ~ I !
O bas a
unique part n u m b e r f r o m 2 0 0 to 8
0 0 , but not every n
u m b e r
order entry system that will b e part of the invoicing system
is used. T h e wholesale prices vazy f
r o m $54.95 for the city ball to
ELsinore Industries:' 2. Total size of the organi7atlon you serve:
p $1.79 for a
hot d o g stand.
F o r your design o
f a data entry system for Elsinore, take
less than 1,000 ~
75,006-25,000 ~
"I've b e e n melancholy over w
h a t I've f
o u n d out since signing
into consideration all the objectives for data entry discussed
1,000-5,000 more than 2
5 000 ~
o a at Elsinore. ̀
Sometrring is rotten' here, m quote a
f a m o u s play-
throughout this chapter. D r a w a n y displays necessary to illus-
5,006-15,000 ~
Wright In fact, the invoicing system w a s so out o
f control that I've
trate your design. H o w can y
o u m a k e the older entry system
been wofldng azound the clock with our bookkeeper, GIlda S t e m , "
efficient? R e s p o n d in a
pazagraph Specify w h a t data c
a n be
5. A Most Significant Part
l I{raatz soliloquies.
stored a n d retrieved a
n d w h a t data m
u s t b e entered a
n e w fcr
4. A Major Part
I~ " I w o u l d like y
o u to help straighten tlrings out," R
o s e c o n -
each order. H o w c a n unnecessary w
o r k b e avoided? Write a
~ I ~
3. A Substantial Part
times. " R ' e shi
to 1 2 distribution wazehouses around the c
o c a -
paragraph to explain w h y the s
y s u m y o u propose is m
o r e effi-
P 2. A
Smaller Part try• E
a c h invoice w
e write out includes the w
a z e h o u s e n u m b e r ,
cleat than the old one. H o w c a n data accuracy b
e ensured? L
e t
7 • A Minor Part
1 through 1
2 , ics street address, a
n d the U
. S . postal c
o d e (zip
U u e e strategies that will w
o r k with the Type of data th~c a:e
0. Does Not Apply 3. Whattraining and development
code). W e also put o
¢ each invoice the date w
e fill the order, c
o d e
being entered forElsinore Industries.
techniques '
do you use? (Please mark each technique.) lecture with or without media
~ ~ ~
films 0 ~
sO videotape closed-circuitN
~ 'r' ~ ~ ~ ~
'O Errors c
a n n o t b e ruled o
u t entirely, a
n d t h e critical i
m p o r t a n c e o f catching errors d
u r i n g
OO O
aO OO
discussions (cases, issues, etc.) ~O O
OO O
put, p r i o r to p
r o c e s s i n g a n d storage, c
a n n o t b e o v e r e m p h a s i z e d . T h e snazl o
f p r o b l e m s cre-
role-playing <O O
behavior modeling ~° O OO
• O
OO OO
'. a t e d b y i n c o s e c t i n p u t c a n b e a n i g h t m a z e , n o t t h e least o
f w h i c h is that m
a n y p r o b l e m s t a k e a
simulation; advanced ~0
'O zO O
<O O
~ l o n g t i m e to surface. T
h e s y s t e m s analyst m
u s t a s s u m e that e
s o r s i n data will o
c c u r a n d m u s t
gaming on-theyo6 training
~° '~
~2 ~ ~a Qs
w o r k w i t h users to d
e s i g n i n p u t validafion r
a s e to p
r e v e n t e r r o n e o u s data f
r o m b e i n g p r o c e s s e d
jab rotation °~
'0 ~ Q Qa ~
a n d stored, b
e c a u s e initial e
a o r s that g
o u n d i s c o v e r e d for l
o n g periods aze e
x p e n s i v e a n d t i m e -
internships; assistantships ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
organization development techn(ques ~ ~ O O
<O O
~' c o n s u m i n g to c
o s e c t .
' Y o u c a n n o t i m a g i n e everything that will g
o a w r y w i t h input, b
u t y o u m u s t c o v e r t h e k i n d s o f
other 0 O O O
OO O
e a o r s that g
i v e rise to t
h e lazgest p
e r c e n t a g e o f p r o b l e m s . A s u m m a r y o f potential p
r o b l e m s that
O O O
OO O
<O OO
~, m u s t b e c o n s i d e r e d w h e n validating i
n p u t is g
i v e n in F
i g u r e 1 5 . 1 8 .
~ ~ ~ ~' ^ r~
~ ^
~
g
e i s o n n e l i s n e c e s s
a n d
f o r questionnaires, a
s s h o w n i n F i
e 1 5 . 1 2 Little trainin
o f entry p
az3'•
This T y p e of
Validation C a n Prevent T
h e s e P r o b l e m s
V a n d a n a g ~ n p u c ; s important
s l e d uickl
a l u S h v o l u m e o f f o r m s c a n b e p r o c e
q
Y to ensuic that m
o s t potenflal
_ Thai althou h
t h e readers c
a n d e t e r m i n e w h e t h er a
O n e d r a w b a r k o f m a r k s e n s e f o r m s is
g that o
cical c
h a r a c ter r
e a d ers d
o .
in t h e w a
p
_ . .
roblemswith data aze eliavnated n u t
S u b m i ttin
th e w r o n data
P Validating I
p
~
B rat t
h e m a z k
a d e t h e c a n n o t m to
Y m a z k h a s b e e n m
y
i P
' o n c h o i c e s aze limited to t
h e
b e
a s i n c o r r e c t data. I
n a d d l e
eazl ata submitted b
a n unauth prized
Y Transactions
D
Y c a n t h u s
entered Stra
m a z k s o n f o r m s
_ y
m e a m r i n al h
a n u m e n c data
ctrl h a v e dtffi
8 P
a n s w e r s i o v i d e d o n t h e m a z k - s e n s e f o r m , f o r m s
LS' P
P
p arson
s s t e m to
erform a n
Asking t h e y
p
c a m late s
e t o f letters a
n d n u m b e r s , a n d it is e
a s y f o r t h o s e
c a u s e o f t h e s a c e re aired f
o r a
p b e
P
4 u n ac r e table function P
filling o u t m a z k - s e n s e f o a m s to g
e t c o n f u s e d a n d p u t a m a r k i n a n i n c o s e c t position.
Validating Input Missing data
Data Incorrectfeld length
r ~
~ ~ g x p l i q g ~ a t ~ . ~ i 3 ~ , i 1 $ g T ~ ~ 1 1 T 0 1 1 ~ i ~ H . ~ 1 1 # V ~ 1 Q ~ . $ f O E E
'~. Data h
a v e unacceptable composition
;~,; i ~
S o faz, w
e h a v e discussed ensuring t
h e effecfive capture o
f d a t a o n t o s o u r c e d o c u m e n t s a n d t h e
Data are out of r a n g e
Data are invalid
data's efficient entry into t h e s y s t e m t h r o u g h various i
n p u t devices. A
l t h o u g h these conditions
Data d o not m
a t c h with stored data
aze necessary f o r e n s u r i n g quality data, t
h e y a l o n e aze n
o t sufficient.
4 1 4
P A R T 4 • T H E E S S E N T I A L S O F D E S I G N
~ ~
~ ~
~ ~ _ ~ _
~ _ , :
_
-. n
..
Waiting to Be Fed
« Y eah, w
e w e r e sold a
package all right This o n e right here.
D o n ' t get m
e w r o n g , it g
e u the w
o r k done. W
e just don:t I
m o w
w h e n . "
Y o u are talking with O
w e n Itt, w
h o is telling y
o u about the
sales unit's recent purchase o f n e w software for its networked P
C s
that allows the input o f sales data for each o
f i u 1 6 salespeople,
provides output s h o w i n g comparison data for t
h e m , a n d projects
future sales based o n past sales records.
" W e ' v e h a d s o m e o d d experiences with this p
r o g a m , though,"
O w e d continues. ̀
7t s e e m s s l o w o r something. F
o r instance, we're
never sure w h e n i Y s done. I
type in s . c o m m a a d to get a
file a n d
nothing happens. A b o u t half a
minute later, if I ' m lucky, the dis-
p]ay I w a n t m i g h t c o m e u p , but I
' m never sure. If I
a s k it to save
sales darn, I just get a
wlvrring sound. If it works, I ' m r e n u n e d co
w h e r e I w a s before. If it doesn't save data, I
' m still returned to
w h e w I w u before. It's confusing, a
n d I never k
n o w w h a t to
do. Thece's nothing o n the display screen that te1Ls m
e w h a t to
d o next. S
e e the little m
a n u a l that c
a m e with it? I
Y s dog-eared
because w e knave to k
e e p t h u m b i n g through it d
y i n g to f
i ~
out w h a t to d
o n e x t O r w e g o online to try to get s
o m e help,
but their technical assistance is just about noneicistent It takes
w a y too m
u c h rime, too."
B a s e d o n w h a t you've heazd in the interview, take this
opportunity to s u p p l e m e n t the sofrwaze b
y designing s
o m e
onscreen feedback for O w e n a n d his sales t
e a m . T h e feed-
b a c k should address all o
f O w e a ' s conccros, a
n d follow the
guidelines for giving feedback to users, d a d the guidelines for
designing g o o d displays. D
r a w a prototype o
f the clisplays y
o u
think are necessary to address tkie problems O w e a lists.
7 . U s e r a d i o b u K o n s a n d d r o p- d o w n lists to c
o n t r o l displays o
f n e w w e b p a g e s o r to
c h a r z g e W e b f o r m s . F o r e x a m p l e , w h e n a r a d i o b u t t o n is clicked, a
d r o p - d o w n list m
a y
c h a n g e to reflect t
h e radio b
u t t o n choice. A
r a d i o b u t t o n m a y b e clicked, a
n d a f o r m m a y
c h a n g e a c c o r d i n g to t
h e c h o i c e . A d r o p - d o w n list m
a y c h a n g e o r a r a d i o b u t t o n m a y b e
clicked t o m o v e t o a n e w w e b p a g e . D r o p - d o w n l i s u aze often p
r o v i d e d o n a w e b p a g e
f o r q u i c k navigation; selecting a
n e w w e b ' p a g e f r o m t h e d r o p - d o w n list t
a k e s t h e v i e w e r
to that p a g e .
8 . P r o v i d e c u r s o r c o n t r o l f o r W e b f o r m s a n d o t h e r d i s p l a y s s o t h a t t h e c u r s o r m o v e s
to t h e n e x t field w
h e n t h e r i g h t n u m b e r o f c h a r a c t e r s h a s b e e n e n t e r e d . A n e x a m p l e
w o u l d b e w h e n a u s e r enters a
n a z e a c o d e For a
U . S . t e l e p h o n e n u m b e r , a n d , f o l l o w -
i n g t h e e n t r y o f three characters, t
h e c u r s o r m o v e s to t
h e local p
h o n e n u m b e r field.
E n t e r i n g s o f t w a z e registration k
e y c o d e s is a
n o t h e r e x a m p l e . T h e c o d e s a z e ofren i
n
g r o u p s o f f o u r o r five letters a
n d , w h e n t h e first field is filled, t
h e c u r s o r m o v e s t o t h e
n e x t field a
n d s o o n . T h e a n a l y s t s h o u l d e x a m i n e e v e r y field to s
e e w h e t h e r a u t o m a t i c
c u r s o r control s
h o u l d o c c u r .
A n y c o m b i n a t i o n o f t h e s e eight a
p p r o a c h e s c a n h e l p t h e analyst d
e c r e a s e t h e n u m b e r o f
k e y s t r o k e s required b
y t h e user, thereby s
p e e d i n g u p d a t a entry a
n d m ; n ; m ; > ; n g e s o r s .
~~na2cleeudl ~~rer~ensR~nan ~ n n ~ ~ ' e n ~ ~ r~ern~5,~
A system should b
e consistent throughout its different displays a
n d in the m
e c h a n i s m s for con-
trolling the operation o f the displays throughout different applications. Consistency m
a k e s it
easier for users to leazn h o w to use n
e w portions o
f the system once they aze famIIiaz with o
n e
c o m p o n e n t Y o u can achieve consistency by:
7. U s i n g consistent terminology in a
display screen or website
8. Providing a consistent w
a y to navigate ttuough the dialog
9. Using consistent font alignment, size, a n d color o
n w e b pages
F e e c l b a c f l z f o r d J s e r s
All systems require feedback to monitor a n d c h a n g e behavior. F
e e d b a c k usually c
o m p a z e s cur-
rentbehavior with predetermined goals a n d gives b
a c k information describing the g
a p b e t w e e n
a c N a l a n d intended performance.
B e c a u s e h u m a n s themselves aze c
o m p l e x systems, they require feedback f
r o m offiers to
m e e t psychological a
n d cognitive processing needs discussed eazlier in this chapter. F
e e d b a c k
also increases h u m a n confidence. H
o w m u c h feedback is required is a
n individual chazacter,+ic.
W h e n users interface with machines, they still n
e e d feedback about h
o w their w
o r k is pro-
gressing. A s designers o
f user interfaces, systems analyse n
e e d to b
e awaze of the h
u m a n n e e d
for feedback a n d build it into the system. I
n addition to text messages, icons can ofren b
e used.
F o r example, displaying a
n hourglass while the system is processing encourages the user to wait
a w h i l e rather than repeatedly pressing keys to get a
response.
T ~ ~ ? ~ nr;eL'er~alTs~cF~~
F e e d b a c k to a
user f r o m a s y s t e m is necessary in seven distinct situations. F
e e d b a c k that is
ill timed•or too plenrifiII is not helpful because h u m a n s possess a
limited capacity to process
information. Websites should disp]ay a status m
e s s a g e or s
o m e other w
a y o f notifying ffie user
that the site is responding a n d that input is either c
o s e c t or in n
e e d o f further informarion.
Figure 14.10 provides s o m e e x a m p l e s for each type of feedback.
A C K N O W L E D G I N G A C C E P T A N C E O F I N P U T . T h e Srst situation i
n w h i c h users n
e e d f e e d b a c k is to
learn that the c o m p u t e r h a s accepted the i
n p u t F o r example, w
h e n a user enters a
n a m e o n a line,
the c o m p u t e r provides feedback to the user b
y advancing the cursor o
n e character at a
time w h e n
the letters aze entered c o a e c d y . A VTeb e
x a m p l e w o u l d b e a w e b p a g e displaying the m
e s s a g e
" Y o u r p a y m e n t bas b
e e n processed. Y
o u r confirmation n
u m b e r is 1234567. T
h a n k y o u for using
our services: '
R E C O G N I Z I N G T H A T I N P U T IS I
N T H E C O R R E C T F O R M . U s e r s n e e d f e e d b a c k to tell t
h e m that
the input is in the correct f o r m . F o r e x a m p l e , a user inputs a
c o m m a n d , a n d the f
e e d b a c k
states " R E A D Y " as the p
r o g r a m progresses to a
n e w p o i n t A p o o r e x a m p l e o f f e e d b a c k
that tells the user that input is in the correct f o r m is the m
e s s a g e "IIIPIIT O
K , " because that
m e s s a g e takes extra space, is cryptic, a
n d d o e s norhing to encourage the input o
f m o r e data.
W h e n placing a
n order o
n tl~e W
e b or m
a k i n g a p a y m e n t , a confirmafion p
a g e often displays,
Type of feedback
Acknowledging acceptance of input
S a m p l e Feedback Response
"Your payment has been processed."
Recognizing that input is in the correct form A n L E D -like display turns from red to green
NoGtying that input is not in the correct form ' T h e telephone n
u m b e r should be separated
by dashes (-)'
Explaining a delay in the processing A n hourglass or a
rotating circle
€~Fl~MEC ~i ~^.-.`~f~
Feedback can take m a n y forms.
1. Locating titles, date, time, a n d operator a
n d feedback messages in the s
a m e places o
n all
Acknowledging that a request is completed "You successfully renewed your membership.
T h a n k you."
displays `
^
i 'I
2 . Exiting each p
r o g r a m b y using the s
a m e k e y or m
e n u option'
? "Your attempt w
a s not successful. Please try
~ i
Notifying that a request w a s not completed
3. Canceling a transaction in a
consistent w a y , such as using the F
s c k e y
i at a
later time." i
4. Obtaining help in a standardized w
a y , such as using a
function k e y
~ "Your credit card w
a s not charged. You m
u s t
5. Standazdizing the colors used for all displays or w e b pages
~ Offering the user more detailed feedt~ack
enter a valid expiry date. Press help if you need
~V
6. Standardizing the u s e o f icons for similaz operarions w
h e n using a
graphical user I
more information."
interface
