SYS364
Input Design
Today and next week Agenda
Input Design (Chap.11)
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Objectives
Source Document Design
Screen Design
Human Factors (Chap.12)
Input Design
GIGO (it’s worse than this)
Input Technologies (make a list)
Pen, Paper & Forms
Keyboard, Mouse
Screen widgets:
check box, radio
button, pick lists
Touch screen
Voice recognition
ATMs, Portable
devices (e.g. Telxon,
PalmPilots)
Bar code, MICR,
stripe readers
OCR, scanner
E-pens, drawing tablets
E-whiteboard
Video capture
Biometric devices:
thumbprint, retinal scan,
face recognition
Telephone keypad
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
Textbook, page 407:
1. Identify devices and mechanisms
2. List system inputs with data content
3. Input controls & security
4. 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 System
Input Design Objectives
Develop efficient input procedures:
Make it easy to do the right things and
hard to do the wrong things.
Don’t penalize good users.
Reduce input volume
Reduce input errors
With these objectives in mind, does
anything change regarding the Kiosk
example?
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.
Use PK lookup to get related data.
Integrate systems:
Use 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
NEWSWire/400 - 01.25.01
“There's still an immense number of Web sites
out there that have a manual back end. They
put up a storefront, but the orders get printed
somewhere, and a sales-entry person enters
them into the real application to be processed.
But that manual link can end up being both a
business exposure and an expense. Every time
you re-key data, you risk having it entered
wrong. There are a fair number of cases where
the screen tools are linking into e-business, but
not performing e-business."-- Janet Krueger,
analyst at Andrews Consulting Group
Data Entry Methods
Batch vs On-line data entry
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On-line advantages
 Immediate validation
 Immediate availability of data
Source Data Automation
 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?
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Information exchange standards
Cost of coding and reading (e.g. barcodes)?
Peak demand? (OLTP throughput)
Inflexible? (alternate input method)
Hardware requirements?
Develop Efficient Input
Procedures
Efficient
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Use codes
Necessary data only (no black holes)
Retrieve data from system files or
calculate from other data
Timely
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Seconds multiplied by thousands equals
hours. Bottlenecks? Do a stress test.
Manual backup methods?
Reduce Input Errors:
control the data
Sequence – complete and together
Existence – is it all there?
Validity – is it a real code?
Data Type – is it the right kind?
Range – allowable values
Reasonableness – sensible values
NASA’s ozone measurements
Combination – logic
Batch Controls – hash totals
Timecard Input
Sequence
Existence
Data Type
Range
Reasonableness
Validity
Combination
Batch Controls
each day in order
# of hours required
numeric
0 <= hours <=24
3 <= hours <=12
Employee No. on file
Emp.Name matches
on screen and card;
O/T rate if hours >40
time card count
total hours
hash total of Emp.No.
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)
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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
Don’t require use of special characters
Don’t 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
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Menu Screens
Prompt Screens
Graphical User Interfaces
Uses graphics such as windows, menus
and boxes to allow users to
communicate with the system
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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)
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
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Objectives
Source Document Design
Screen Design