Lecture 9 (Designing Effective Input-Output)

Lecture 9
Designing Effective
Input/Output
Abdisalam Issa-Salwe
Department of Computer Science

Faculty of Information Science and Technology
East Africa University
Input
1
Input Design Objectives
 The quality of system input determines the quality

of system output.
 Input design objectives:
 Effectiveness
 Accuracy
 Ease of use
 Consistency
 Simplicity
 Attractiveness
3 East Africa University, Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Department of Computer Science
Automatic input device

 Data is collected, entered into and
processed by the computer. To make
the data acceptable for computer
reading it needs to be encoded.
 Transforming the data into a
computer readable form and entering
it takes time so methods are used to
reduce this time as much as possible.
2
Automatic input device (cont…)
 Magnetic ink character (MICR):
 Magnetic Ink characters on forms are printed
with special magnetic ink
 Optical mark reader (OMR):
 This method of input is a form of scanning a
document with shaded parts in pre allocated
spaces.
 Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
 Bar code reader:
 This method of input is a form of scanning the bar code.

 Electronic Funds Transfer at the Point of
Sale (EFTPOS)
A method of electronic payment which allows
money to be transferred from the account of
the shopper to the merchant in close-to real-
time. Generally the shopper will give the
merchant a credit or debit card, which will be
swiped to obtain the account information. The
shopper will then be required to either sign a
receipt or enter a PIN via a keypad to
authorise the transaction
3
 Magnetic stripe cards and Smart Cards:

 This method of input is a form of reading from
the magnetic strip of data from the back of a
card.
 Voice recognition:
 This method of input is much faster than
keyboard entry, people can speak faster than
typing.

 Sensors:
 used in capturing data by reading a situation every
allocated time. The sensor is connect to a computer
which reads the data sent and acts on certain
readings.
 A shop security system:
 sensors to detect movement, readings are sent every
10th of a second. If the beam is broken a different
reading is sent to the computer causing an alarm to
ring.
 Other examples are:
 a flood warning device,
 temperature warning device,
 pressure device in a busy road monitoring the amount
of traffic,
 a speed calming camera.
4
Optical Character
Recognition (OCR)
Bar Code Reading
Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)

5
Optical Mark Recognition (OMR)
Magnetic Strip Readers
6
Sensors
Good Form Design
 Make forms easy to fill in.

 Ensure that forms meet the purpose for
which they are designed.
 Design forms to assure accurate
completion.
 Keep forms attractive.
7
Seven Sections of a Form
 Heading
 Identification and access
 Instructions
 Body
 Signature and verification
 Totals
 Comments
Caption Types
 Line caption
 Putting the caption on the same line or below the
line
 Boxed caption
 Providing a box for data instead of a line
 Check off caption
 Lining up choices or alternatives vertically
 Horizontal check off caption
 Lining up choices or alternatives horizontally
 Table caption
 Work well in the body of a form
 Combination
8
Major Captioning Alternatives
Meeting the Intended Purpose
 Systems analysts may use different types

of specialty forms for different purposes.
 Specialty forms
 Multiple-part
 Continuous-feed
 Perforated
9
Ensuring Accurate Completion
 To reduce error rates associated with data

collection, forms should be designed to
assure accurate completion.
 Design forms to make people do the right
thing with the form.
Keeping Forms Attractive
 Aesthetic forms draw people into them and

encourage completion.
 Forms should look uncluttered, and elicit
information in the expected order.
 Using different fonts and line weights
within the same form can help make it
more attractive for users.
10
Computer-Assisted Form Design
 Numerous form design packages are

available for PCs.
 There are tools to set up:
 Fields
 Check boxes
 Lines
 Boxes
Controlling Business Forms

 Make sure that each form in use fulfills its
specific purpose.
 Make sure that the specified purpose is integral
to organizational functioning.
 Prevent duplication of information collected and
of the forms that collect it.
 Design effective forms.
 Decide on how to reproduce forms in the most
economical way.
 Establish procedures that make forms available,
at the lowest possible cost.
11
Good Display and Web Forms
Design
 Keep the display simple.
 Keep the display presentation consistent.
 Facilitate user movement among display
screens and pages.
 Create an attractive and pleasing display.
Keeping the Display Simple
 Heading
 Body
 Comments and instructions
12
Keeping the Display Consistent
 Locate information in the same area each

time a new display is accessed.
 Information that logically belongs together
should be consistently grouped together.
 Information should not overlap from one
group to another.
Facilitating Movement
 The three-clicks rule says that users
should be able to get to the screens they
need within three mouse or keyboard
clicks.
 Movement among screens:
 Scrollingby using arrows or PgDn keys
 Context-sensitive pop-up windows
 Onscreen dialogue
13
Designing an Attractive and Pleasing
Display
 Should draw users into them and hold
their attention
 Use logical flows in the plan to your
display pages
 Color or shaded boxes and creating three-
dimensional boxes and arrows
Using Icons in Screen Design

 Icons are pictorial, onscreen representations
symbolizing computer actions that users may
select using a mouse, keyboard, lightpen, touch
screen, or joystick.
 Shapes should be readily recognizable.
 Icons for a particular application should be
limited to 20 recognizable shapes.
 Use icons consistently throughout.
14
Graphical User Interface (GUI) Controls
 Text boxes
 Check boxes
 Option or radio buttons
 List and drop-down list boxes
 Sliders and spin buttons
 Image maps
 Text area
 Message boxes
The Designer Has Many GUI Components that Allow Flexibility in

Designing Input Screens for the Web or Other Software Packages: This
Example is from Microsoft Access
15
Text Boxes
 Text boxes should be large enough to

accommodate all the characters.
 Captions should be to the left of the text
box.
 Character data is left-aligned within the
box.
 Numeric data is right-aligned.
Check Boxes
 Check boxes are used for nonexclusive

choices.
 Check box text or label is placed to the
right of the check box.
 If there are more than ten check boxes,
group together in a bordered box.
16
Option Buttons
 Option or radio buttons are used for exclusive
choices.
 Choices are listed to the right of the button, in
some sequence.
 Often they are placed in a rectangle called an
option group.
 If more than six option buttons are used, a list
box or drop-down list box should be
implemented.
List and Drop-Down List Boxes
 Used when there is little room available on

the page
 If there is a commonly selected choice, it
is usually displayed in the drop-down list
by default.
17
Tab Control Dialogue Boxes
 Create a separate tab for each unique
feature.
 Place the most commonly used tabs in
front and display them first.
 Consider including three basic buttons in
your design:
OK
Cancel
Help
Sliders, Spin Buttons, and Image Maps
 Sliders and spin buttons are used to change

data that have a continuous range of values.
 Image map fields are used to select values
within an image.
18
Sliders and Spin Buttons Are Two Additional GUI
Components the Analyst Can Use to Design Input
Screens
Text Area
 A text area is used for entering a larger

amount of text.
 Can view data larger then the box area
 Handling text:
 Hard return is used to force new lines.
 Use word wrap within the text area.
19
Message Boxes and Command Buttons
 Message boxes are used to warn users

and provide feedback messages in a
dialog box.
 Command buttons perform an action when
the user selects it.
Form Controls and Values
 Each control in a GUI interface stores data

associated with the control.
 Web pages use a name and value pair
that are transmitted to the server or in an
email sent along with the form.
20
Hidden Fields
 Not visible to the viewer

 Do not take up any space on the Web
page
 Can only contain a name and value
 Used to store values sent from one Web
form to the server
Event-Response Charts
 Used to:
 List the variety of events that can occur.
 Show what should happen.
 Build a Web form that requires minimal action
from the user.
 Explore improvements to the Web page.
 Events may be used to:
 Control navigation between Web pages.
 Change the contents of drop-down lists.
21
Topics list
 Designing output and input
 Output and input technologies
 Factors in choosing an output technology
 Report design
 Screen design
 Web site design
 Input design
 Form design
 Display design
 GUI screen design
 GUI controls
 Web design guidelines
Learning Objectives
 Understand the objectives for effective output
design.
 Relate output content to output methods inside and
outside the organizational context.
 Realize how output bias affects users.
 Design display output.
 Design dashboard, widgets, and gadgets.
 Design input forms for users of business systems.
 Design engaging input displays for users of
information systems.
22
Input and Output
 The I/O allows the computer to obtain
information from the outside world, and send
the results of its work back there.
 There are incredibly broad range of I/O
devices, from the familiar keyboards, monitors
and floppy disk drives, to the more unusual
such as webcams.
Output
46
23
Output
 Information delivered to users
 Output forms
 Hard-copy—printedreports
 Soft-copy—computer screens, microforms,
and audio
 To create output, the analyst works
interactively with the user until the output
is satisfactory.
Output Design Objectives

 Serve a specific user or organizational purpose
 Meaningful to the user
 Deliver the appropriate quantity of output
 Make sure the output is where it is needed
 Provide output on time
 Choosing the most effective output method
24
Output device
Visual Display Unit
Output devices are

used to get data
out of a system
high quality technical
drawings or
graphs have to be
produced.
Printers: Laser and inkjet
Relating Output Content to Method

 Content of output must be considered as
interrelated to the output method.
 External—going outside the business
 Internal—staying within the business
25
External Output
 Examples:
 Utility
bills
 Advertisements
 Paychecks
 Differs from internal output in:
 Distribution
 Design
 Appearance
Internal Output
 Examples:
 Summary reports
 Detailed reports
 Historical reports
 Exception reports
 Might consist of material available on an

intranet
26
Output Technologies
 Printers
 Display screen
 Video, audio, and podcasts
 DVD and CD-ROM
 Electronic output
Printers
 The trend in printers is toward increased

flexibility.
 Key factors of printers:
 Reliability
 Compatibility
with software and hardware
 Manufacturing support
27
Display Screen
 Advantages:
 Result in cost savings
 May be desirable from the user’s standpoint
 Easier to keep up to date
 Disadvantages:
 Different screen resolutions
 Fonts
Video, Audio, and Animation

 Video
 Combines the impact of audio with a visual
channel
 Audio
 Transient, usually output for the benefit of one
user
 Animation
 The presentation of different images in a
series, one at a time
28
Video Clips
 Supplementing static, printed output

 Distance collaboration
 Showing how to perform an action
 Providing brief training episodes
 Shifting the time of an actual event by
recording it for later output
 Preserving an important occasion
Audio
 Sound
 Music
 Sound effects
 Telephone
 Podcasting
 Technique of putting downloadable voice files
on the Web as RSS files
29
Animation
 Animation is composed of four elements:

 Elemental symbols
 Spatial orientation
 Transition effects
 Alteration effects
CD-ROMs and DVDs
 Less vulnerable to damage from human

handling
 Can include full-color text and graphics as
well as audio and video
30
Electronic Output
 Email
 Faxes
 Bulletin board messages
RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

 A way of gathering and distributing news
and other content from multiple sources
 RSS news readers can either stand alone
or be integrated with your browser as plug-
ins.
 Has the advantage of efficiently organizing
news and other information from a variety
of sources chosen by the user
31
Push and Pull Technology
 Pull technology allows the user to take

formatted data from the Web.
 Push technology sends solicited or
unsolicited information to a customer or
client.
A Comparison of Output Methods
32
Factors to Consider When Choosing Output
Technology
 Who will use the output?
 How many people need the output?
 Where is the output needed?
 What is the purpose?
 What is the speed with which output is needed?
 How frequently will the output be accessed?
 How long will the output be stored?
 Regulations depicting output produced, stored, and
distributed
 Initial and ongoing costs of maintenance and
supplies
 Human and environmental requirements
Output Bias
 Analysts must avoid unnecessarily biasing

output and make users aware of the
possible biases in output.
 Bias is introduced in three main ways:
 How information is sorted
 Setting of acceptable limits
 Choice of graphics
33
Avoiding Bias in the Design Output
 Be aware of the sources of bias.
 Design of output that includes users.
 Work with users so that they are informed
of the output’s biases.
 Creating output that is flexible and allows
users to modify limits and ranges.
 Train users to rely on multiple output for
conducting “reality tests” on system
output.
Designing Printed Output

 Detailed reports
 Print a report line for every record on the
master file.
 Exception reports
 Print a line for all records that match a certain
condition.
 Summary reports
 Print one line for a group of records that are
used to make decisions.
34
Report Design Conventions
 Constant information remains the same

whenever the report is printed.
 Variable information can vary each time
the report is printed.
 Paper quality, type, and size
Designing Printed Reports
 Functional attributes
 Stylistic and aesthetic considerations
 Well organized
35
Designing Output for Displays
 Keep the display simple.

 Keep the presentation consistent.
 Facilitate user movement among
displayed output.
 Create an attractive and pleasing display.
Graphical Output in Screen Design

 The purpose of the graph
 The kind of data to be displayed
 The audience
 The effects on the audience of different
kinds of graphical output
36
Dashboards
 Make sure the data has context.
 Display the proper amount of summarization and
precision.
 Choose appropriate performance measures for display.
 Present data fairly.
 Choose the correct style of graph or chart for display.
 Use well-designed display media.
 Limit the variety of item types.
 Highlight important data.
 Arrange the data in meaningful groups.
 Keep the screen uncluttered.
 Keep the entire dashboard on a single screen.
 Allow flexibility.
Widgets and Gadgets
 Can be any type of a program that may be

useful to any person interacting with a
computer
 Can empower users to take part in design
of their own desktop
37
Reference
 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as

Prentice Hall
 Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Teaching notes,
Thames Valley University, 2005.
75
Group Discussion
 Group 1:
 Discuss Input how computer used
this technology to
 Group 2:
 Discuss Output how computer used
this technology to
76
East Africa University,Abdisalam Issa-Salwe,
Faculty of Faculty
Information of Computer
Science Science & Engineering,
and Technology, Department Taibah
of University
Computer Science
38

Lecture 9 (Designing Effective Input-Output)

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Lecture 9

Department of Computer Science

 The quality of system input determines the quality

Automatic input device

Automatic input device (cont…)

 Magnetic stripe cards and Smart Cards:

Automatic input device (cont…)

Bar Code Reading

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)

Magnetic Strip Readers

Good Form Design

 Make forms easy to fill in.

Meeting the Intended Purpose

 Systems analysts may use different types

 To reduce error rates associated with data

Keeping Forms Attractive

 Aesthetic forms draw people into them and

 Numerous form design packages are

Controlling Business Forms

Keeping the Display Simple

 Locate information in the same area each

Using Icons in Screen Design

The Designer Has Many GUI Components that Allow Flexibility in

 Text boxes should be large enough to

 Check boxes are used for nonexclusive

List and Drop-Down List Boxes

 Used when there is little room available on

Sliders, Spin Buttons, and Image Maps

 Sliders and spin buttons are used to change

 A text area is used for entering a larger

 Message boxes are used to warn users

Form Controls and Values

 Each control in a GUI interface stores data

 Not visible to the viewer

Output Design Objectives

Output devices are

Printers: Laser and inkjet

Relating Output Content to Method

 Might consist of material available on an

 The trend in printers is toward increased

Video, Audio, and Animation

 Supplementing static, printed output

 Animation is composed of four elements:

CD-ROMs and DVDs

 Less vulnerable to damage from human

RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

 Pull technology allows the user to take

A Comparison of Output Methods

 Analysts must avoid unnecessarily biasing

Designing Printed Output

 Constant information remains the same

Designing Printed Reports

 Keep the display simple.

Graphical Output in Screen Design

Widgets and Gadgets

 Can be any type of a program that may be

 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as

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