Designing Effective Output: Systems Analysis and Design, 8e Kendall & Kendall

11
Designing Effective Output

Systems Analysis and Design, 8e
Kendall & Kendall
Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
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 a Web site for ecommerce.
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Output
Information delivered to users
Output forms
Hard-copyprinted reports
Soft-copycomputer screens, microforms,
and audio
To create output, the analyst works

interactively with the user until the
output is satisfactory.
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Major Topics
Designing output
Output technologies
Factors in choosing an output
technology
Report design
Screen design
Web site design
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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
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Relating Output Content to

Method
Content of output must be considered
as interrelated to the output method.
Externalgoing outside the business
Internalstaying within the business
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External Output
Examples:
Utility bills
Advertisements
Paychecks
Differs from internal output in:

Distribution
Design
Appearance
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Internal Output
Examples:
Summary reports
Detailed reports
Historical reports
Exception reports
Might consist of material available on an

intranet
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Output Technologies
Printers
Display screen
Video, audio, and podcasts
DVD and CD-ROM
Electronic output
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Printers
The trend in printers is toward
increased flexibility.
Key factors of printers:
Reliability
Compatibility with software and hardware
Manufacturing support
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11-10
Display Screen
Advantages:
Result in cost savings
May be desirable from the users
standpoint
Easier to keep up to date
Disadvantages:
Different screen resolutions
Fonts
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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
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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
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Audio
Sound
Music
Sound effects
Telephone
Podcasting
Technique of putting downloadable voice
files on the Web as RSS files
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Animation
Animation is composed of four
elements:
Elemental symbols
Spatial orientation
Transition effects
Alteration effects
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CD-ROMs and DVDs

Less vulnerable to damage from human
handling
Can include full-color text and graphics
as well as audio and video
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Electronic Output
Email
Faxes
Bulletin board messages
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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
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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.
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A Comparison of Output Methods

(Figure 11.2)
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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
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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
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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 outputs 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.
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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.
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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
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Designing Printed Reports

Functional attributes
Stylistic and aesthetic considerations
Well organized
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Designing Output for Displays

Keep the display simple.
Keep the presentation consistent.
Facilitate user movement among
displayed output.
Create an attractive and pleasing
display.
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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
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11-28
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.
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11-29
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
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Designing a Web Site
Use professional tools.

Study other sites.
Use Web resources.
Examine the sites of professional Web site
designers.
Use the tools youve learned.
Consult the books.
Examine poorly designed Web sites.
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Designing a Web Site (Continued)

Creating Web templates
Style sheets allow you to format all Web
pages in a site consistently.
Using plug-ins, audio, and video

sparingly
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Designing a Web Site (Continued)

Plan ahead, pay attention to:
Structure
Content
Text
Graphics
Presentations style
Navigation
Promotion
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Structure
One of the most important steps in
developing a professional Web site
Each page in the Web structure should
have a distinct message.
Can benefit from using Web site
diagramming and mapping tools
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Content
Appropriate content is needed to keep
the user interested
Use a metaphor or images that provide
metaphor for your site
Should include a FAQ page
May take advantage of prewritten
software
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Text
Each Web page should have a title.
Place meaningful words in the first
sentence appearing on your Web page.
Clear writing is important.
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11-36
Graphics
Use either JPEG or GIF formats.
Keep the background simple and readable.
Create a few professional-looking graphics for
use on your pages.
Keep images small and reuse bullet or
navigational buttons.
Include text in what is called a Title or ALT
attribute for images and image hot spots.
Examine your Web site on a variety of
displays and screen resolutions.
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11-37
Presentation Style
Provide a home page.
Keep the number of graphics to a reasonable
minimum.
Use large and colorful fonts for headings.
Use interesting images and buttons for links.
Use CSS to control the formatting and layout
of the Web page.
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Presentation Style (Continued)

Use divisions and cascading styles or
tables to enhance a layout.
Use the same graphics image on several
Web pages.
Use Javascript to enhance Web page
layout.
Avoid overusing animation, sound, and
other elements.
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Navigation
The three-clicks rule
Promote the Web site
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Promotion
Promote your site.
Submit often to search engines.
Include key words in metatags.
Encourage your readers to bookmark
your Web site.
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Maintaining Web Sites

Ecommerce sites require frequent
updating.
Content management systems (CMS)
Software tools
Enable the analyst to develop and maintain
Web sites
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11-42
Creating Blogs (Web Logs)
Permalink specific for the blog post

The headline or title of the post
The primary link
An optional summary
The blog text or commentary
An optional image
A block quote
Links for comments from other people
Other blog software features
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11-43
Output Production and XML

An XML document may be transformed
into different output media types.
Methods:
Extensible Style Language Transformations
(XSLT)
Ajax
Cascading style sheets (CSS)
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Extensible Style Language

Transformations (XSLT)
XSLT allows you to:
Select XML elements
Sort sequence
Selection of data
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Extensible Style Language Transformation (XSLT) Software Can Be

Used to Transform XML Documents into Many Different Formats for
a Variety of Platforms (Figure 11.17)
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11-46
Ajax
Uses both JavaScript and XML to obtain
small amounts of data from a server
without leaving the Web page
The user does not have to wait for a
new Web page to display after making
a selection.
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Summary
Output
Output design objectives
Output content
Output technologies
Presentation of output
Printed reports
Display output
Web design
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11-48
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.
11-49
12
Designing Effective Input
Systems Analysis and Design, 8e
Kendall & Kaendall
Learning Objectives
Design input forms for users of business
systems.
Design engaging input displays for
users of information systems.
Design useful input forms for people
interacting on the Web.
Design useful input pages for users of
intranets and the Internet.
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Input Design Objectives

The quality of system input determines the
quality of system output.
Input design objectives:
Kendall & Kendall
Effectiveness
Accuracy (precisin)
Ease of use
Consistency
Simplicity
Attractiveness
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Major Topics
Input design
Form design
Display design
GUI screen design
GUI controls
Web design guidelines
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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.
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Make Forms Easy to Fill in

Form flow
Seven sections of a form
Captioning
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Form Flow
Can minimize the time and effort
expended by employees in form
completion
Should flow from left to right and top to
bottom
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Seven Sections of a Form

Heading
Identification and access
Instructions
Body
Signature and verification
Totals
Comments
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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
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Major Captioning Alternatives

(Figure 12.2)
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Meeting the Intended Purpose

Systems analysts may use different
types of specialty forms for different
purposes.
Specialty forms
Multiple-part
Continuous-feed
Perforated
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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.
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Ensuring accuracy (Fig. 12.1)
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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.
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Computer-Assisted Form
Design
Numerous form design packages are
available for PCs.
There are tools to set up:
Fields
Check boxes
Lines
Boxes
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Omniform from ScanSoft Allows the User to Take an Existing Form,

Scan it into the Computer, and Define Fields so the Form Can Be
Easily Filled out on a PC (Figure 12.3)
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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.
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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.
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Keeping the Display Simple

Heading
Body
Comments and instructions
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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.
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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:
Scrolling by using arrows or PgDn keys
Context-sensitive pop-up windows
Onscreen dialogue
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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
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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.
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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
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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 (Figure 12.4)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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12-79
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.
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12-80
Sliders and Spin Buttons Are Two Additional GUI

Components the Analyst Can Use to Design Input
Screens (Figure 12.5)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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Event Response Chart (Fig. 12.8)
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Dynamic Web Pages

Web pages that change themselves as
the result of some user action
Advantage
Modify themselves quickly
Disadvantage
Will not work if JavaScript is turned off
Dynamic Web pages may not be compliant
with the American Disabilities Act.
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Three Dimensional Web Pages

Use stacked layers.
Code is moved in front of the Web
page.
Code may be created using JavaScript.
Analyst must determine when to use
layers.
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Three Dimensional Web Pages

Analyst must determine:
How is the layer built?
What events cause the layer to be created?
What events remove the layer?
Where should the block be placed?
The size of the block?
How to frame the region?
What happens when an option is selected?
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Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript

and XML)
Uses JavaScript and XML
Allows Web developers to build a Web page that
works like a traditional desktop program
The data may be either a small text file or an XML
document containing many customers or repeating
data.
Has the advantage of making the Web work faster
and of providing a smoother viewing experience for
users
The disadvantages are that JavaScript must be
enabled and the Web page may violate the American
Disabilities Act.
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Color
The five most legible foreground
/background color combinations:
Black on yellow
Green on white
Blue on white
White on blue
Yellow on black
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Intranet and Internet Page

Design
Provide clear instructions.
Demonstrate a logical entry sequence for fill
-in forms.
Use a variety of text boxes, push buttons,
radio buttons, drop-down lists, and other
GUI features.
Provide a scrolling text box if you are
uncertain how much text will be entered.
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Intranet and Internet Page

Design (Continued)
Include two basic buttons: Submit and
Clear.
If the form is lengthy, divide it into
several simpler forms on separate
pages.
Create a feedback screen that lists error
messages if a form has not correctly
been filled out.
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Ecommerce Applications
Ecommerce applications involve more
than just good designs of Web sites.
Customers need to feel confident in the
site
Shopping cart
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Summary
Guidelines for well-designed input
forms:
Forms must be easy to fill out.
Forms must meet the purpose for which
they are designed.
Forms must be designed to ensure
accurate completion.
Forms must be pleasing and attractive.
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Summary (Continued)
Guidelines for well-designed displays:
Displays must be kept simple.
Displays must be consistent in
presentation.
Design must facilitate movement between
pages.
Displays must be attractive.
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Summary (Continued)
Guidelines for Web fill-in forms:
Provide clear instructions.
Demonstrate a logical entry sequence for fill-in
forms.
Use a variety of text boxes, push buttons, drop
-down menus, check boxes, and radio buttons.
Provide a scrolling text box if you are uncertain
about how much space users will need to respond
to a question.
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12-98
Summary (Continued)
Guidelines for Web fill-in forms (continued):
Prepare two basic buttons on every Web fill-in
form: Submit and Clear Form.
If the form is lengthy and the users must scroll
extensively, divide the form into several simpler
forms on separate pages.
Create a feedback screen that highlights errors in
an appropriate color and refuses submission of
the form until mandatory fields are correctly filled
in.
Kendall & Kendall
12-99
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.
12-100

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11

Designing Effective Output

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

To create output, the analyst works

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Output Design Objectives

Kendall & Kendall

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Relating Output Content to

Kendall & Kendall

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Differs from internal output in:

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Might consist of material available on an

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Kendall & Kendall

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Kendall & Kendall

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Video, Audio, and Animation

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Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Kendall & Kendall

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Kendall & Kendall

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CD-ROMs and DVDs

Kendall & Kendall

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Kendall & Kendall

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

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Push and Pull Technology

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A Comparison of Output Methods

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Factors to Consider When

Who will use the output?

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Kendall & Kendall

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Avoiding Bias in the Design

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Designing Printed Output

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Report Design Conventions

Kendall & Kendall

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Designing Printed Reports

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Designing Output for Displays

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Graphical Output in Screen

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