Part IV: The Essentials of Design
Lecture Note 11
Designing Effective Output
Systems Analysis and Design
Kendall & Kendall
Sixth Edition
Major Topics
• Designing output
• Output technologies
• Factors in choosing an output
technology
• Report design
• Screen design
• Web site design
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Output
• Output is information delivered to users through the
information system by way of intranets, extranets or the
World Wide Web.
– Some data require extensive processing
– Some data are store.
– Some data with little or no processing.
• Output can take many forms:
– The traditional hard copy of printed reports.
– The soft copy such as computer screens, microforms and
audio output.
• To create the most useful output possible, the SA works
closely with the user through an interactive process until the
result is considered to be satisfactory.
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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?
• When will the information be provide and how often
must it be update?
• Do security or confidentiality (保密) issues exist?
Your answers will affect your output design strategies.
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Output Design Objectives
Output should be designed to:
– Designing output to serve a specific purpose.
(Output is designed based on user purpose.)
– Making output meaningful to the user. (Designing
output to fit the user)
– Delivering the appropriate quantity of output.
– Delivering it to the right place. (Make sure the output
is where it is needed)
– Providing output on time. (daily, monthly, annually)
– Choosing the most effective output method.
(Printing paper reports, information on screens, audio with digitized
sounds, microform and web documents)
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Relating Output Content to Output Method
The content of output from information systems must be
considered as interrelated to output method.
• Internal output is used within the corporation, such as
material available on an intranet, historical reports and
exception (例外) report.
• External output is used outside the organization, such as
utility (公共事業) bills, advertisements (廣告), paychecks, annual
reports and so on.
• External output differs from internal output in its design and
appearance (外表).
• A turnaround document is one that is sent out and then
returned, such as utility bills.
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This figure is a gas bill that is a turnaround document for a gas company’s data
processing. The output for one stage of processing becomes the input for the next.
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Output Technologies
• Producing different types of output requires different
technologies.
• Output technologies differ in their:
–
–
–
–
–
Speed.
Cost.
Portability (便攜式).
Flexibility (靈活的).
Storage and retrieval possibilities (可能性).
• Output can be in the form of:
–
–
–
–
–
Print.
Display screen.
Audio.
CD-ROM or CD-RW.
DVD.
– Electronic output: is created with special software
tools.
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Printers
• It is a common kind of output, it is logical to assume that in
any large organization printers are ubiquitous (無處不有的).
Although other types of output are gaining popularity, it is
likely that businesses will still desire printed output or will
want to design output that will look good.
• It is toward increased flexibility.
• SA must determine the purpose
for the printer. Once that is
established, three key factors of
printers to keep in mind are:
-- Reliability (可靠性).
-- Compatibility (相容) with software
and hardware.
-- Manufacturer support.
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Displays as Output
• Display screens are an increasingly (
越来越..) popular output technology.
Once used mostly for data entry,
screens are also becoming a feasible
technology.
• Screens have distinct advantages
over printers because of their
quietness and potential (有可能的) for
interactive user participation.
• Screens output can afford (提供) flexibility in allowing the user
to change output information in real time either through deletion,
addition or modification.
• Screen also permit the review of stored output through access
to and the display of items from a relevant database.
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Video (視頻), Audio (音頻) and Animation (動畫片)
• Video is a complex form of output, as it
combines the strength (力量) and potential
emotional impact of audio (including sound
effects, voice and music) with a visual channel.
•
Video clips (片段) are useful for:
– Supplementing static, printed output.
– Distance collaboration that connects people who do not often get to see
each other. It helps for virtual (真實) project team members who must
work together, but who do not typically meet face to face.
– Showing how to perform an action, such as demonstrating how a form
should be filled out, how software should be installed or how a product
should be assembled.
– Providing brief training episodes (插曲) that are job-specific in order to
emphasize a new or unfamiliar skill.
– Shifting the time of an actual event by recording it for later output.
– Preserving an important occasion (時刻) for addition to an organization’s
archives (檔案) .
CD-ROMs and DVDs
• With the demand for multimedia output growing, the
display of material on CD-ROM has become increasingly
widespread.
• CD-ROMs are less vulnerable (易受損害) to damage from human
handling than other output.
• CD-ROMs can include full-colour text and graphics as well
as music and full-motion video, so as an output medium
they provide a designer maximum creativity.
• DVD is fast becoming a useful output technology. A DVD
has more capacity than a CD-ROM, and a DVD drive can
read CD-ROMs as well as DVDs. Not only are DVDs used
for output, but they also are used for backup storage.
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Electronic Output
• Many of the new Web-based systems you design will have
the capability of sending electronic output in the form of
email, faxes and bulletin board messages.
• Electronic output includes:
– Fax.
– Electronic mail (email): By designing email systems, you
can support communication throughout the organization.
A useful and flexible email system can form the basis of
support for workgroup.
– The World Wide Web:
• Pull technology allows the user to take formatted data
from the Web.
• Push technology sends solicited (懇求給予) or unsolicited
information to a customer or client.
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Factors in Choosing an Output Technology
Factors that must be considered:
– Who will use the output?
• Technology that can access appropriate Web sites and databases,
such as screen output or interactive Web documents are excellent
for managers.
• Several extranets are fit for user, clients, vendors and suppliers.
• The ecommerce company’s Web site is powered for the
company’s strategy.
– How many people need the output?
• Web-based documents or printed copies are probably justified for
many users.
• A screen or audio may be more suitable for one person.
• If many users in the business need different output at different
times for short periods and they need it quickly, Web document or
screens connected to online terminals that are able to access
database contents are a viable option.
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– Where is the output needed (distribution, Logistics) ?
• Another factor influencing the choice of output technology is
the physical destination of the output .
– What is the purpose of the output?
• If the output is intended to be a report created, well-designed,
printed output is desirable. Reports on Web as well as in
printed form are used too.
• If the purpose of the output is highly changeable such as stock
market, screen, Web pages or audio presentations are
preferable.
– What is the speed with which output is needed?
• Decision maker at lowest level of operations management need
output rapidly, online screen output may be useful.
• Management level, strategic managers are more in need of
output for a specific time period.
– How frequently will the output be accessed?
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– How long will the output be stored?
– Under what special regulations (規則) is the
output produced, stored, and distributed?
– What are the initial and ongoing costs of
maintenance and supplies?
– What are the environmental requirements for
output technologies?
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Output Bias
• Analysts must be aware (知道) of sources of
output bias and inform users of the
possibilities of bias (偏差) in output.
• Bias is introduced in three main ways:
– How information is sorted.
– Setting of acceptable limits.
– Choice of graphics.
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Strategies to Avoid Bias
Strategies to avoid output bias:
– Awareness of the sources of bias.
– Design of output that includes users.
– Working with users so that they are informed of
the output's 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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Report Design Considerations
• Constant (固定的) information is information that remains the same
whenever the report is printed. The title of the report and all of
the column headings are written as constant information.
• Variable information is information that can vary each time the
report is printed out.
• Paper quality, type, and size should be specified.
• When designing reports, the essential goal is to match the report
to the user’s specific information needs.
• Reports fall into three categories:
– Detail report,
– Exception report and
– Summary report.
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Printed Reports
• Design reports using software.
• Design guidelines for printed reports are:
– Include functional attributes, such as report headers and
footers, page headers and footers, column headings and
alignment, column spacing, field order, group of detail
line, and control breaks.
Control Field — the field which controls the output.
A Control break– when the value of a control field changes, a
control break occurs. A control break usually causes
specific actions for group of records. That type of detail
reports is called a control break report.
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Upper-level
managers often
want to see total
figures and do not
need supporting
detail.
Exception (例外)
reports are useful
when the user
wants information
only on records
that might require
action.
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A detail report contains same data but provides much more information. Control
breaks are used to separate the data for each store, with subtotals and grand
totals for numeric field.
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Display Screen Design
Guidelines for display Screen design are:
– Keep the display simple.
– Keep the display presentation consistent.
– Facilitate (使便利) user movement among displayed
output.
– Create an attractive (吸引人的) display.
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Notes that it is uncluttered, but it still
gives a basic summary of a heading.
Instructions at the bottom of the display
provide users with several options,
including continuing the present
display, ending the display, getting help,
or getting more detail.
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Graphical Output
• Primary considerations for designing graphical
output:
– Output must be accurate, easy to understand and use.
• The analyst must determine:
–
–
–
–
The purpose of the graph.
The kind of data to be displayed.
It’s audience (觀衆) .
The effects on the audience of different kinds of
graphical output.
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In the instance of a decision
support system, the
purposed of graphical
displays are to support any
of the three phases of
problem solving:
intelligence, design or
choice. An example from
the Nebraska State Patrol
workforce planning DSS is
shown in figure. Here,
current response times,
forecasted (預測的)
response times and
minimum requirements are
graphed as differently
shaded bars.
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Web Site Design
• Design principles must be used when designing Web
sites.
– Using professional tools: Microsoft FrontPage. HTML
– Studying other sites: analyze what design elements are being
used and see how they are functioning.
– Using Web resources: look at Web site that give hints on
design.
– Examining the sites of professional Web site designers.
– Using tools that you are familiar with.
– Consulting books.
– Examining of poorly designed pages.
– Creating Web templates. Style sheets allow you to format all
Web pages in a site consistently.
– Using plug-ins, audio, and video sparingly (節省).
– Plan Ahead: Structure. Content. Text. Graphics.
Presentations style. Navigation. Promotion.
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Web Graphics
Guidelines for using graphics when designing Web
sites are:
– Use either JPEG or GIF formats.
– Keep the background simple and readable.
– Create a few professional-looking graphics for
use on your page.
– Reuse bullet or navigational buttons.
– Examine your Web site on a variety of monitors
and graphics resolutions.
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Presentation Style
Guidelines for entry displays for Web sites:
– Provide an entry screen or home page that introduces the
visitor to the Web site. The page must be designed to load
quickly.
• The entry page should contain a number of choices. An
easy way to accomplish that is to design a set of buttons
and position them on the left side or the top of the
screen. (see example on next 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 tables to enhance the layout.
– Use the same graphics image on several Web pages.
– Avoid overusing animation, sound, and other “busy”
elements.
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The entry page that
contains a large
image and some
content, but then
directs the visitor to
journey elsewhere
in the site. This page
was constructed
with software that
allows designers to
see HTML code at
the same time they
see what the page
would look like in a
browser.
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