Review Questions

Chapter 11

1. List six objectives an analyst pursues in designing system output.

They are:

to design output to serve the intended human and organizational purpose

to fit the user

to deliver the right quantity of output,

to deliver it to the right place,

to provide output on time

to choose the right output method

2. Contrast external outputs with internal outputs produced by a system. Remember to consider

differences in external and internal users.

external: output leaving the company.

Ex: utility bills, advertisements, paychecks

Internal: output staying within the company.

Ex: distribution, design, appearance, summary reports (overview of what's happening)

4. What are the drawbacks of electronic and Web-based output?

-not conducive to formatting

-difficult to convey context of messages

-web sites need diligent maintenance

7. What kind of output is desirable if many readers will be reading, storing, and reviewing output

over a period of years?

preserved on microforms or digitized in archives

not prone to succumb to environmental disturbances

Chapter 12

1. What are the design objectives for paper input forms, input screens, and Web-based fill-

in forms?

effectiveness

accuracy

ease of use

consistency

simplicity

attractivenes

3. What is proper form flow?

The proper form flow is a way to minimize the time and effort expended by employees in form

completion. The proper forms should flow from left to right and top to bottom.

6. What is a specialty form? What are some disadvantages of using specialty forms?

Specialty forms are the forms used only for a specific situation; for example, providing similar

information in different ways to different departments. The disadvantages of the specialty forms

are the high cost, and users can quickly be strangled with the red tape generated by meaningless

multiple-part forms.

7. List the four guidelines for good display design.

Four guidelines for a good display design are: keep the display simple, keep the display

presentation consistent, facilitate user movement among display screens, and create an attractive

display screen.