Chapter 07

Systems Analysis & Design
5 Edition
th
Chapter 7
User Interface, Input, and Output Design

Chapter Objectives
● Explain the concept of user interface design and
human-computer interaction, including the
basic principles of user-centered design
● List specific guidelines for user interface design
● Describe user interface techniques, including
screen elements and controls
● Explain input design concepts, techniques, and
methods
2
Chapter Objectives
● Describe guidelines for data entry screen
design
● Use validation checks for reducing input
errors
● Design effective source documents and input
controls
● Discuss output design issues and various types
of output
● Design various types of printed reports, and
suggest output controls and security
3
Introduction
● User interface, input, and output design
continues the systems design phase of the
SDLC
● User interface design includes user
interaction with the computer, as well as
input and output issues
4
User Interface Design
● After the logical model is constructed, systems
analysts turn their attention to the physical
design
● A key design element is the user interface (UI)
● Consists of all the hardware, software,
screens, menus, functions, and features that
affect two-way communications between the
user and the computer
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● Evolution of the User Interface
– As information management evolved from centralized
data processing to dynamic, enterprise-wide systems,
the primary focus also shifted — from the IT
department to the users themselves
– User-centered system
– Requires an understanding of human-computer
interaction and user-centered design principles
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● Human-Computer Interaction
– Human-computer interaction (HCI) describes the
relationship between computers and people who use
them to perform business-related tasks
– IBM uses its Almaden computer science research
site to focus on users and how they experience
technology
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– IBM traces the history and evolution of the human-
computer interface — beginning with users typing
complex commands in green text on a black screen,
through the introduction of the graphical user
interface (GUI)
– Dr. Clare-Marie Karat states that “in this new
computer age, the customer is not only right, the
customer has rights”
8
– The user rights cited by Dr. Karat include
• Perspective
• Installation
• Compliance
• Instruction
• Control
• Feedback
• Dependencies
• Scope
• Assistance
• Usability
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● Basic Principles of User-Centered Design
– Understand the underlying business functions
– Maximize graphical effectiveness
– Profile the system’s users
– Think like a user
– Use prototyping
• Usability metrics
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● Basic Principles of User-Centered Design
– Design a comprehensive interface
– Continue the feedback process
– Document the interface design
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● Guidelines for User Interface Design
– Follow eight basic guidelines
1. Focus on basic objectives
2. Build an interface that is easy to learn and use
3. Provide features that promote efficiency
4. Make it easy for users to obtain help or correct errors
5. Minimize input data problems
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– Follow eight basic guidelines
6. Provide feedback to users
7. Create an attractive layout and design
8. Use familiar terms and images
– Good user interface design is based on a
combination of ergonomics, aesthetics, and
interface technology
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– Focus on basic objectives
• Facilitate the system design objectives
• Create a design that is easy to learn and remember
• Design the interface to improve user efficiency and
productivity
• Write commands, actions, and system responses that are
consistent and predictable
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– Build an interface that is easy to learn and use
• Label clearly all controls, buttons, and icons
• Select only those images that a user can understand easily
• Provide on-screen instructions that are logical, concise,
and clear
• Show all commands in a list of menu items
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– Provide features that promote efficiency
• Organize tasks, commands, and functions in groups that
resemble actual business operations
• Create alphabetical menu lists
• Provide shortcuts so experienced users can avoid multiple
menu levels
• Use default values if the majority of values in a field are
the same
16
– Make it easy for users to obtain help or correct
errors
• Ensure that Help is always available
• Provide user-selected Help and context-sensitive Help
• Provide a direct route for users to return to the point from
where Help was requested
• Include contact information
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– Minimize input data problems
• Provide data validation checks
• Display event-driven messages and reminders
• Establish a list of predefined values that users can click to
select
• Build in rules that enforce data integrity
• Use input masks
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– Provide feedback to users
• Display messages at a logical place on the screen
• Alert users to lengthy processing times or delays
• Allow messages to remain on the screen long enough for
users to read them
• Let the user know whether the task or operation was
successful or not
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– Create an attractive layout and design
• Use appropriate colors to highlight different areas of the
screen
• Use special effects sparingly
• Use hyperlinks that allow users to jump to related topics
• Group related objects and information
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– Use familiar terms and images
• Remember that users are accustomed to a pattern of red =
stop, yellow = caution, and green = go
• Provide a keystroke alternative for each menu command
• Use familiar commands
• Provide a Windows look and feel in your interface design if
users are familiar with Windows-based applications
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● User Interface Controls
– Menu bar
– Toolbar
– Command button
– Dialog box
– Text box
– Toggle button
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– List box – scroll bar
– Drop-down list box
– Option button, or radio button
– Check box
– Calendar control
– Switchboard
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Input Design
● Input technology has changed dramatically
in recent years
● The quality of the output is only as good as
the quality of the input
– Garbage in, garbage out (GIGO)
– Data capture
– Data entry
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Input Design
● Input and Data Entry Methods
– Batch input
• Batch
– Online input
• Online data entry
• Source data automation
• Magnetic data strips or swipe scanners
• POS, ATMs
26
Input Design
● Input and Data Entry Methods
– Tradeoffs
• Unless source data automation is used, manual data entry
is slower and more expensive than batch input because it is
performed at the time the transaction occurs and often
done when computer demand is at its highest
• The decision to use batch or online input depends on
business requirements
27
Input Design
● Input Volume
– Guidelines will help reduce input volume
1. Input necessary data only
2. Do not input data that the user can retrieve from system
files or calculate from other data
3. Do not input constant data
4. Use codes
28
Input Design
● Designing Data Entry Screens
– Most effective method of online data entry is form
filling
– Guidelines to help design data entry screens
1. Restrict user access to screen locations where data is
entered
2. Provide a descriptive caption for every field, and show
the user where to enter the data and the required or
maximum field size
29
Input Design
3. Display a sample format if a user must enter values in a
field in a specific format
4. Require an ending keystroke for every field
5. Do not require users to type leading zeroes for numeric
fields
6. Do not require users to type trailing zeroes for numbers
that include decimals
30
Input Design
7. Display default values so operators can press the ENTER
key to accept the suggested value
8. Use a default value when a field value will be constant for
successive records or throughout the data entry session
9. Display a list of acceptable values for fields, and provide
meaningful error messages
31
Input Design
10. Provide a way to leave the data entry screen at any time
without entering the current record
11. Provide users with an opportunity to confirm the
accuracy of input data before entering it
12. Provide a means for users to move among fields on the
form
32
Input Design
13. Design the screen form layout to match the layout of the
source document
14. Allow users to add, change, delete, and view records
15. Provide a method to allow users to search for specific
information
33
Input Design
● Input Errors
– Reducing the number of input errors improves data
quality
– A data validation check improves input quality by
testing the data and rejecting any entry that fails to
meet specified conditions
34
Input Design
● Input Errors
– At least eight types of data validation checks
1. Sequence check
2. Existence check
3. Data type check
4. Range check – limit check
5. Reasonableness check
35
Input Design
● Input Errors
– At least eight types of data validation checks
6. Validity check – referential integrity
7. Combination check
8. Batch controls
36
Input Design
● Source Documents
–Source document
–Form layout
–Heading zone
–Control zone
–Instruction zone
–Body zone
–Totals zone
–Authorization zone
37
Input Design
– Information should flow on a form from left to right
and top to bottom to match the way users read
documents naturally
– A major challenge of Web-based form design is that
most people read and interact differently with on-
screen information compared to paper forms
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Input Design
– Dr. Jakob Nielson believes that users scan a page,
picking out individual words and sentences
– As a result, Web designers must use scannable text
to capture and hold a user’s attention
– Layout and design also is important on Web-based
forms
39
Input Design
● Input Control
– Every piece of information should be traceable back
to the input data
– Audit trail
– Data security
– Records retention policy
– Encrypted – encryption
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Output Design Issues
● Before designing output, ask yourself several
questions:
– What is the purpose of the output?
– Who wants the information, why it is it needed, and
how will it be used?
– What specific information will be included?
– Will the output be printed, viewed on-screen, or
both?
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● Before designing output, ask yourself several
questions:
– When will the information be provided, and how
often must it be updated?
– Do security or confidentiality issues exist?
● Your answers will affect your output design
strategies
42
● Types of Output
– In the systems design phase, you must design the
actual reports, screen forms, and other output
delivery methods
– Internet-based information delivery
– E-mail
– Audio
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● Types of Output
– Automated facsimile systems
• Faxback systems
– Computer output microfilm (COM)
• Microfilm
– Computer output to laser disk (COLD)
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● Specialized Forms of Output
– An incredibly diverse marketplace requires a variety
of specialized output
– Output from one system often becomes input into
another system
– Although digital technology has opened new horizons
in business communications printed output still is the
most common type of output
46
Printed Output
● Although many organizations strive to
reduce the flow of paper and printed reports,
few firms have been able to eliminate printed
output totally
● Because they are portable, printed reports
are convenient, and even necessary in some
situations
● Turnaround documents
47
Printed Output
● Types of Reports
– Detail reports
• Detail line
• Control field
• Control break
• Control break report
• Can be quite lengthy
• Better alternative is to produce an exception report
48
Printed Output
● Types of Reports
– Exception reports
• Are useful when the user wants information only on
records that might require action
– Summary reports
• Reports used by individuals at higher levels in the
organization include less detail than reports used by lower-
level employees
49
Printed Output
● User Involvement in Report Design
– Printed reports are an important way of delivering
information to users, so recipients should approve
all report designs in advance
– To avoid problems submit each design for approval
as it is completed, rather than waiting to finish all
report designs
– Mock-up
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Printed Output
● Report Design Principles
– Printed reports must be attractive, professional, and
easy to read
– Report headers and footers
– Page headers and footers
– Column heading alignment
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Printed Output
● Report Design Principles
– Column Spacing
• Space columns of information carefully
– Field order
• Fields should be displayed and grouped in a logical order
– Grouping detail lines
• It is meaningful to arrange detail lines in groups
• Group header
• Group footer
52
Printed Output
● Report Design Example
– Revisit the Employee Hours report shown in Figure
7-36. Although the report follows many of the
design guidelines discussed, you still could improve
it
– Too much detail is on the page, forcing users to
search for the information they need
53
Printed Output
● Other Design Issues
– Good design standards produce reports that are
uniform and consistent
– When a system produces multiple reports, each
report should share common design elements
– After a report design is approved, you should
document the design in a report analysis form
54
Printed Output
● Designing Character-Based Reports
– Many systems still produce one or more character-
based reports
– When report designers create or modify a character-
based report, they use a traditional tool that still
works well, called a printer spacing chart
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Printed Output
● Printing Volume and Time Requirements
– High volume of reports can significantly increase a
system’s TCO
– Length calculations
– Time calculations
• Ppm (pages per minute)
• Line printers
56
Printed Output
● Output Control and Security
– Output must be accurate, complete, current, and
secure
– Output security
– The IT department is responsible for output control
and security measures
– Many companies have installed diskless
workstations
57
Chapter Summary
● The chapter began with a discussion of human-
computer interaction concepts and graphical
user interfaces (GUIs)
● You learned that user-centered design
principles are used to understand the business
functions, maximize graphical effectiveness,
profile the system’s users, think like a user, use
prototyping, design a comprehensive interface,
continue the feedback process, and document
the interface design
58
Chapter Summary
● An effective way to reduce input errors is to
reduce input volume
● The section on output included a discussion of
output design issues and a description of
various types of output
● Finally, you learned about output control and
the various measures you can take to achieve
adequate output control to ensure that
information is correct, complete, and secure
59
Systems Analysis & Design
5 Edition
th
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Systems Analysis & Design

User Interface, Input, and Output Design

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