Input Design

Input Design
GIGO (its worse than this)
Input Technologies (make a list)
Pen, Paper &
Forms

Bar code, MICR,

stripe readers

Keyboard, Mouse

OCR, scanner

Screen widgets:
check box, radio
button, pick lists

E-pens, drawing
tablets

Touch screen
Voice recognition
ATMs, Portable
devices (e.g.
Telxon, PalmPilots)

E-whiteboard
Video capture
Biometric devices:
thumbprint, retinal
scan,
face recognition

Input Design Goal

select the best strategy
to get quality data
into the system
in a timely and accurate manner
i.e. Good & Fast or Fast & Good
but almost never Cheap
System boundary is the edge of
accessible information

Question
If you are working on a
development team creating a
tourist information kiosk for
airports, what input devices might
you consider and why?

Design of System Inputs

1.
2.
3.
4.

Identify devices and mechanisms

List system inputs with data content
Input controls & security
Design and prototype input
methods

Design of System Inputs

1.
2.
3.
4.

Identify devices and mechanisms

List system inputs with data content
Input controls & security
Design and prototype input
methods

What is wrong with this order?

Sequence: 2, 4, 3, 1. Do you agree?

Input Design
define the methods used for
data capture, entry and input
Data Capture record the
source data
Data Entry convert Captured
data into computer readable
form
Data Input process Entered
data into the Information

Input Design Objectives

Develop efficient input
procedures:
Make it easy to do the right things
and hard to do the wrong things.
Dont penalize good users.
Reduce input volume
Reduce input errors

Data Input Techniques

Capture and validate data at source,
reduce the information float (time from
beginning of Capture to end of Entry)
Reduce input volume (codes,
scanners)
Streamline data entry
if hard to scan, SKU must be keyed.
e.g. poor quality labels,
heavy boxes/fixed counter scanner

Data Integration
Retrieve data, avoid reentry.
Integrate systems:
Use Electronic Data Interchange
(EDI) , XML, WS-I
Web Services Inspection spec (WS-I)
describes what services a business
offers and how users can access those
services. Allows the components of one
application to be used by other
applications in different locations via
the Web and XML

Data Entry Methods

Batch vs On-line data entry

On-line advantages
Immediate validation
Immediate availability of data

Source Data Automation

Point of Sale POS terminals (how long did

it take until almost everything had a bar

code?)
Data strips on cards for security, access

list the advantages

Of on-line data entry and/or
automated data capture
What are some of the disadvantages?

Information exchange standards

Cost of coding and reading (e.g.
barcodes)?
Peak demand? (OLTP throughput)
Inflexible? (alternate input method)
Hardware requirements?

Key Tasks in Input Design

1. List system inputs with data content
examine the output requirements
2. Design and prototype input methods
3. Input controls & security
4. Identify devices and mechanisms

Source Document Design

Source Document (i.e. paper)

Forms: software that runs on people

Forms used to request and collect
input data (i.e. Data Capture)
Also used to trigger or authorize an
input action
Provides a record of the original
transaction

Why paper is still around:

Familiar

many people are scared of using computers

and with good reason :-)

Accessible

not everyone has access to a computer or network

connection when they need it

Exchangeable

if you can read, you can exchange it

Portable

no power or equipment required

Legible

higher resolution than screen output

reading a screen is 25% slower than reading print

Form layout
Source Document Zones
Heading

Control
(DB key)

Instructions
Body
Total
Authorizations

Source Document Design

Flow follows data capture
sequence
Internal vs External Document
Quality and appearance
Cost of using a document is
greater than the cost of the
form itself.

Screen follows Form

Form follows Function
Screens should be attractive
- not too much stuff at one time
Information displayed in a logical order
- follow the form
Screens should be consistent
- titles, layout, F keys, buttons, terms
Messages should be specific
- help, not error messages
Msgs stay on screen until next user input

Screen follows Form

Form follows Function
vertical column alignment
people scan screens
no one reads them
Use special effects sparingly (no blinking!)
Feedback regarding delays are important
e.g. progress bar
Prototype screens with users
usability testing

Screen Design
Data Entry
Process Control
Graphical User Interfaces

Data Entry Screen Design

Restrict user access
Provide a caption for every field
Show sample formats for values
Require an ending keystroke for every
field
- except for single character fields?
- may break rule for high volume data
entry
Dont require use of special characters
Dont require leading zeroes to fill or
trailing zeroes for decimals

Data Entry Screen Design

Display default values and be careful using them!
Display acceptable values whenever possible
e.g. on screen help, pull down lists, check boxes,
buttons
Provide method to exit without recording values
Provide opportunity to confirm action
for non-recoverable, low volume transactions only
Provide means to move among fields
cursor defaults to left-right, top-bottom. You can
override this.
Design screen layout to match source document
Allow for people to make mistaeks and change their
minds
Allow for searching

Process Control Screen

Design
Users can enter commands using
interactive input

Menu Screens
Prompt Screens

Graphical User Interfaces

Uses graphics such as windows,
menus and boxes to allow users to
communicate with the system

Double clicking
Right clicking
Keyboard shortcuts for expert users
To reap advantage, must have
common look and feel

Help
Users do not read manuals (RTFM)
Read The FlippingManual
A user reading a manual
is a user in deep trouble.
on screen help (labels, prompts, codes)
context sensitive help
- single sentence: how to, what for,
what is.
AS/400 model: Msg, Cause, Recovery.
detail help -- the online manual

Input Control
Ensure data is correct, complete,
secure
Audit trail
- transaction logging in computer file
- initials, stamps in paper documents
- control number references
Workflow
- Lotus Notes

Input Control
Computer security
- access to programs & files
Physical security
- paper, tapes, microfilm, etc.
- access and borrowing privileges
- offsite storage & records
retention

Summary
Input Design

Objectives
Source Document Design
Screen Design