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PHASE 3: SYSTEMS DESIGN

User Interface Design
Output Design
Input Design
Menu Design

Output Design

Steps in Output Design

There are eight steps to be followed in the preparation of output designs of an

information system.
 Step 1 considers the identification of which input and output data flows must be
designed
 Step 2 defines the contents of the output
 Step 3 defines what purposes the output data serves for the organization
 Step 4 selects the output medium and processing method
 Step 5 designs the report format (hard copy, screen, etc.)
 Step 6 indicates the controls to be imposed on the data
 Step 7 obtains formal approval of the user for the final design.
 Step 8 documents the report design.

Step 1: Identify the Human-Machine Boundary

 During the Analysis phase, a model of the proposed information system is prepared,
as represented by data flow diagrams, the associated data dictionary, and the
complete set of process descriptions.

 The human-machine boundary is found by examining the data flow diagram ad

drawing a boundary between the external entities and the computer processes.

 Everything inside the boundary will be computerized. Every data flow crossing the
boundary is an input or output, and must be designed.

 To identify the input/output forms, screens, and reports, determine the data flows
originating from or to the external entities who will act on them.
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Step 2: Specify the Contents of the Outputs

 After identifying the data flows that cross the human-machine boundary, identify
them in the data dictionary.

 During the Analysis phase, each data flow is defined with its contents in the data
dictionary. Each data element within the data flow is also defined in terms of data
type, length, default, and so on.
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Step 3: Define the Purposes of the Output

 Outputs may be designed for either external or internal use. An external document
is one that is received by a person or organization outside the firm and an internal
document is sent to individuals within the firm, typically managers. A system output

 To provide information
has one of the following functions:

 To serve as a turnaround document

 To act as archival storage.

 Information is supplied as reports, responses to queries, or the recording of

Informational Outputs

transactions.


 detail reports
Reports are further classified as:

 summary reports
 exception report.

 Detail report furnishes the details of the information. For example, listing of all sales
transactions for a month.

 Summary reports present summaries of data. Examples are weekly sales report by
category, student enrollment per semester according to discipline.

 Exception reports display information according to selected criteria. For example,

the list of customers with payments more than 60 days, and the list of inventory
below minimum order level.

 Queries are requests for information from the existing computer files or database
tables. The response to queries is typically displayed on the screens.

 Transactions are the act of doing business. The flow of a transaction typically
causes the creation of several outputs. A customer order requires a file or database
transaction, which in turn requires an invoice to be sent to he customer for payment.

 Turnaround document or statement is a two-part paper document that serves both

Turnaround Documents

as an output and later as an input to the system.

 Examples are, power bill, credit card bill, telephone bill, for which a portion of the
document is returned to the origination company by the customer.
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 Periodically, a firm may remove some or all data records from a computer for
Archival Storage

safekeeping and file size reduction.

 The archival records may be stored as report formats rather than storing as the
original record format.
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Step 4: Select the Output Medium and Processing Method

 Although most system output is printed in reports or displayed on screens, new

technology created other output mechanisms.

 Figure below shows various output methods from an information system.

Hard Copy (Printed Output)

 Printed hard copy is the most common output. In some cases, a multi-ply statement
is required.

 Various types of printers exist for producing hard copy. They are classified as
impact or nonimpact, depending on the impact nature of the cartridge. An impact
printer is required to print a multi-ply report.

 Printers can also be classified as serial, line and page printers, depending the way
characters are printed on the paper.

 Line printers and serial printers are impact printers. A line printer strikes all the
characters of a line at a time, whereas a serial printer prints one character at a time.
Thus line printers are faster than serial printers.

 A page printer, such as a laser printer, is a nonimpact printer that creates an entire
output page at one time.

Screen Output

 Screen output on a computer monitor is very common.

 It is commonly used to display results of an on-line query. A data-entry screen can

also be used as a data display screen.

 Its advantages are that the results are displayed as real-time and the display method
is very quick. The updates to a record can be displayed immediately on a screen.

Audio Output

Automated Facsimile and Faxback Systems

E-Mail, Links to Web Pages, COM

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Selection Factors for the Output Medium

 There are many factors that influence the choice of medium for the system „s
outputs. These are: usage, volume, quality, cost, frequency, requirement for
multiple copies, and distribution.

 Each report serves a purpose of a business. By understanding the usage of a

Usage

report, an analyst can better design a report.

Volume and Quality

Selection of Processing Method

 Two processing methods can be employed for obtaining output: batch or on-line.

 An on-line processing system offers immediate response to the user‟s request.

Query output for small amounts of information are often handled by on-line
processing.

 In a batch processing, the information is delayed until the required program is

executed, usually at fixed intervals. A customer list, an inventory list, payroll checks,
quarterly reports, are processed in batches.

Step 5: Design the Report Format

The data contents for an output report is already described in the data dictionary.
Design of a report means how data will be physically printed on a paper or displayed on
a screen.

In this section, design issues of various report types such as plain paper report,
preprinted report, screen report, and graphical report are discussed.

 Design for the user, not for the programmer

Some general rules for design of reports and screens are:

 Do not clutter the space

 Organize the report to visually scan from left to right and then from top to bottom.
 Title the report
 Include page number, date, and time of print
 Label output fields clearly and appropriately
 Arrange data into groups when necessary
 Include blank lines and spaces for ease of recognition
 Color the output screen selectively.
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Designing Printed Reports

 For designing printed reports, a printer spacing chart can be used. It mimics a
printer paper (80 or 132 characters per line), so that exact position of the fields of
the actual report can be marked on the chart.

 It is a standard method of visually documenting a report, so programmers can use

them when developing the report program.
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Principles in Report Design

 When representing data for a variable, X represents a character, 9 represents a

Data Type Representation

number, and a Z represents that a leading zero in a number is to be suppressed.

 Each page of a blank paper report should include the report title, report code, page
Page Heading Lines

number, printing date, and printing time.

 Column heading identifies identify the data below each column name and should be
Column Heading Lines

short and descriptive.

 Column headings should be justified. See below.

Column Heading Alignment

 In general, characters are left justified and numbers are right justified.

 Columns of information should be spaced carefully. A crowded report is hard to

Spacing Between Columns

 Subtotals and details of calculations should be placed carefully for ease of

read.

readability. See below.

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 Data items should be ordered alphabetically and numerically whenever possible.

Order of Data Items

Shop numbers and employee names within a shop number are ordered in the figure
below.

 Grouping details should be highlighted. For example, having a heading for all shops
Grouping Details

and a footing for each shop group in the example below.

 Every paper report that is more than one page should have a report footing to
Report Footing

 A report footing might include field totals, or a line showing “END OF REPORT”.
identify the end of the report.
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Designing Special Form Report

 Special form reports are printed on preprinted form containing company address,
logo, and other necessary items on the form. The data must be printed according to
the format of the form.

 To design a special form report using a printer space chart, first an outline of the
form, with preprinted information, is drawn on the printer chart. Then the variable
information is placed like a plain paper report.
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Designing Screen Output

 Many of the design principles of printed output also apply to screen design.

 But, on a screen output, the user must be instructed on how to use various function
keys and buttons to navigate the screen. On character-based screens, the top or
the bottom screen lines usually are reserved for such instructions.

 Access to a screen display may also be protected with a password.

 Guidelines for screen design may include:

 Keep the screen simple
 Keep the screen presentation consistent
 Facilitate user movement among screens
 Create an attractive screen.

 To design a character-based screen, a screen layout form can be used. It consists

Character-Based Screen

of 80 columns and 24 lines, matching the 80x24 line limits of most character-based
screens.

Character Output to Graphical Screen

 The font of a character in a graphical screen is not fixed like a 80-character screen.
Thus screens can be designed with various fonts and typefaces (bold, italic,
underline) for ease of reading.

 Graphical screens may contain command buttons for user actions.

 Reports created by software such as Access, Visual Basic, and Crystal Report fall in
this category.
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Form-Type Screen Output

 Sometimes a data-entry form is used to display information. Design of this type of

screen is typically done on a computer using a graphical program such as Access or
Visual Basic. Again, command buttons are used to link to other screens and to
perform other user functions. The screen is then cut and pasted on a document to
include in the design specification.

 This type of design is handy to communicate the exact nature of the output with the
user and developer.

 Design of the screen should be pleasant for the eye. Some formats are shown
below.

Graphical Output

 In some reports, representing data in graphs might be more suitable for the viewer.
Graphs may include bar chart, line graph, pie charts, maps, or any other picture.
Graphical screens should be designed to display clearly the positions of labels, data,
graph, command buttons, and so on.
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Step 6: Specify the Output Control

 The objective of output control is to ensure that information is correct, complete, and
secure.

 Both the format (report title, page number, date) and data (total, sub-total) of the
report should be thoroughly checked for correctness and completeness.

 Divide the various computer tasks among personnel so no one has full control over
the data processing operation.

 Printed documents and displays should be available to only those who are
authorized to view them.

 To protect a report from unauthorized users, design screens and programs with
protected passwords such that unauthorized users may not access the report.

 Security controls can be implemented on the system level (log on to system) and on
the form level.

Step 7: Obtain the User’s Approval

 Users will interact with the system primarily through the inputs and outputs.

 It is important that the users are provided with the designs of the screens and
reports, so that any clarification and modification necessary to them can be
implemented.

 User involvement also means that the user should review the output formats to see if
a more suitable organization of the data is needed.
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Step 8: Documenting the Report Design

After a report design is completed and approved, it is important to document the design
in a report analysis form, as shown below. Report designs are attached with the form.
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Input Design

The input design is similar to output design, although depending on the medium of
input.
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Specify the Contents of Inputs

The data structures associated with the data flows from external entities to processes
carry information about the input.

Designing character-Based screens

This is same as the output design using a printer-spacing chart.

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Designing Graphical screens

This is similar to the output design using a GUI development tool such as Microsoft
Access of VB.

Input Documentation
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Menu Design
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