MODULE 10

DESIGNING OUTPUTS

Contents
10.1 Output Devices

10.2 Objectives of output design

10.3 Design of output reports

10.4 Design of screens and graphics

Systems Analysis And Design © V. Rajaraman

 LEARNING GOALS

•Review characteristics of devices used to output

information from computers
•Objectives of output design
•Design of reports
•design of screens
•Role of graphics in output design

Systems Analysis And Design © V. Rajaraman 1 of 29

 MOTIVATION

• Presenting results of processing in an attractive and easily

understood form is important
• Management requires these reports to initiate actions and thus
the significance of outputs must be easily perceived
• Must be aware of new output devices being introduced to use
them appropriately
• Must also be aware of changes in output delivery with the
emergence of systems such as intranets/internet.
• Must also cater to newer applications such as e-commerce which
uses the world wide web.

Systems Analysis And Design © V. Rajaraman 2 of 29

 OUTPUT DEVICES

•HARD COPY DEVICES - PRINTERS

•SOFT DEVICES - VIDEO DISPLAY DEVICES
TEXT

AUDIO - SPEECH SYNTHESISER

•MULTIMEDIA
GRAPHICS

VIDEO

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 HARD COPY DEVICES

ƒ Printers used when - there is large volume of data

- several copies normally needed

ƒ Types of printers
Line Printers
• Impact Dot matrix character printers

Laser printer
• Non-Impact
Inkjet printer

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 PRINTER CHARACTERSTICS

LINE PRINTERS
-LARGE VOLUME OUTPUT
-FAST - ENTIRE LINE PRINTED
-MULTIPLE COPIES
-HIGH CAPITAL COST BUT LOW RUNNING COST

DOT MATRIX PRINTERS

- SLOW
- INEXPENSIVE ( PER COPY COST)
- MULTIPLE COPIES WITH CARBON PAPER
- POOR GRAPHICS

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 PRINTER CHARACTERSTICS

INKJET PRINTERS
-CHARACTERS + GRAPHICS
-MULTICOLOUR
-CAPITAL COST LOW COMPARED TO LASER PRINTER
-RECURRING COST HIGH
LASER PRINTERS
-CHARACTERS + GRAPHICS
-MULTICOLOUR EXPENSIVE
-EXCELLENT QUALITY
-CAPITAL COST HIGH
- RECURRING COST LOWER THAN INKJET

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 SOFT COPY MEDIA

• Used to distribute manuals, massive reports, user

documents, software
FLOPPY DISK
CDROM
Alternatives
DVD ROM
FLASH MEMORY
(SEMI CONDUCTOR)

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 SOFT COPY MEDIA (CONTD)

• FLOPPY DISK

- Inexpensive
- Easy to mail/transport
- Low capacity –1.4MB
- Read/write
- Contact recording – number of
read/writes limited

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 SOFT COPY MEDIA (CONTD)
• CDROM
- Inexpensive Medium
- Read only cheaper/safer
- High capacity – 600MB
- Easy to transport/mail
- Primarily used for Text/Graphics

• DVDROM
- Read only cheaper/safer
- Very high capacity – upto 8GB
- Easy to transport
- Useful for storing high quality video such as full
length movies

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 SOFT COPY MEDIA (CONTD)

• FLASH MEMORY
- Read/Write
- Small size and weight
- No moving parts thus very reliable
- Needs USB port on PC
- Size 128KB to 2GB
- Low Power needs
- Expensive

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 SPEECH OUTPUT DEVICES

• Audio such as beeps used for alerting users

• Device used is a speaker
- Very small and inexpensive for beeps
- Inexpensive for speech quality
• Useful when eyes are busy,for example, while
driving,pilots etc.
• Pre-recorded speech is output in such cases
• Text-to-speech also useful for giving instructions where
manuals cannot be read.

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 OBJECTIVES OF OUTPUT DESIGN

While designing output format and picking output

devices the following should be taken into account
•The user group
•Proposed use
•Volume of output
•Periodicity of output
•Timely delivery when required

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 NATURE OF OUTPUT REPORTS

•TOP MANAGEMENT
- Summary highlighting important results

Graphical Output – Pie charts

- Bar charts
-Maps
Needed for strategic management

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 NATURE OF OUTPUT REPORTS

•MIDDLE MANAGEMENT
- Exception reports

- Reduced output volume

- Needed for tactical management

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 NATURE OF OUTPUT REPORTS

• OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT
- DETAILS NEEDED
For example
-Payroll
-Grade sheets
-Cheques

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 PERIODICITY OF OUTPUT REPORTS
(CONTD)
• TOP MANAGEMENT
-Whenever there are any significant changes
-Give option to ask for specific details
-Periodic quarterly

• MIDDLE MANAGEMENT
-Send daily exceptions
-Provide summary on terminal with option to look at
greater details on request

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 PERIODICITY OF OUTPUT REPORTS
(CONTD)

• OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT
-Regular periods
-Periods depend on application
-Example : Payroll monthly

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 DESIGNING OF OPERATIONAL OUTPUT
REPORTS

Structure of a report - Headings

•Report heading
•Page heading - appears in each page
•Detailed heading for each column
•Set of records forming a logical group
called control group and is given a control
heading

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 DESIGNING OF OPERATIONAL OUTPUT
REPORTS (Contd)

Structure of a report - Footings

•Labels used to describe information contained in a
control group are called control footings
•Labels printed at the end of each page of a report is
called page footing
• Label used to give the control information for the whole
report is called final control footing
•Label printed at the end of the entire report is called
report footing

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 EXAMPLE OF TERMINOLOGY
Report heading INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE - ACADEMIC ROLL LIST
Page heading ROLL LIST OF STUDENTS SEM 1/2000-2001
Control heading LIST OF STUDENTS IN AEROSPACE ENGG DEPT
Roll No Name
97101115 A.B.BHATTACHARYA
Detail lines 97101125 A.K.CHANDRA
97101135
. R.K.GUPTA
..
97201198 P.R.RAO
Control footing TOTAL NO OF STUDENTS
Roll No Name
97102105 A.C.ARVIND
97102121
. L.S.BHATIA
..
97102131 P.R.ZAVERI
Control footing TOTAL NO OF STUDENTS IN CHEMICAL ENGG.DEPT = 63
Final control TOTAL NO OF STUDENTS IN SEM 1/200-2001 = 852
footing
Report footing END OF IISc BANGALORE ROLL LIST FOR SEM 1/2000-2001

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 PRINT CHART

• Print chart used by analyst to develop paper report

format
• Languages available to describe format of report and a
report generation program creates report

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 GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF DESIGNING
REPORTS

•Should be able to read left to right, top to bottom

•Easy to find important items such as keys
•All pages numbered and has heading. Report date essential
•All columns labelled
•Keep essential details only
•Proper use of control footings
•Page and report footing useful
•Space for end of report signature if needed

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 DESIGN OF SCREENS

•Screen display convenient for interactive use

•Screen size normally smaller than printer - usually 80 cols per
line and 24 lines per screen
•Principle of layout similar
–Primarily ease of reading
•Provision made at bottom of screen to continue, get details or
exit
•Nowadays screens are designed with buttons which can be
clicked using a mouse to get details, continue or exit from screen

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 EXAMPLES OF SCREENS
SCREEN FOR GENERAL STUDENT INFORMATION

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE

STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM

ROLL NO NAME DEPT YEAR

9501325 A.B.BHATTACHARYA AEROSPACE ME 1
9602415 A.P.DAS CSA Ph.D
9602325 P.GANAPATHY EE M.Sc
9701425 G.HARI MET ME II
9702112 H.JAI SINGH CIVIL Ph.D

DETAILS CONTINUE EXIT

CLICK BUTTON AS REQUIRED

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 EXAMPLES OF SCREENS
SCREEN FOR DETAILED STUDENT INFORMATION

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE

STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM

05-05-2000
ROLL NO 9701425
NAME G.HARI
YEAR ME II
GUARDIAN P.GANESHAN
ADDRESS 41 OLIVER STREET
MYLAPORE
MADRAS 600 004

DETAILS RETURN

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 BUISNESS GRAPHICS

SHOWS INFORMATION IN PICTORIAL FORM WHICH IS

EASY TO UNDERSTAND
USUAL PICTURES ARE
•BAR CHARTS - RELATIVE DISTRIBUTION EASY TO SEE
•PIE CHARTS - %USE OF RESOURCES EASY TO SEE
•X-Y GRAPHS - TRENDS EASY TO SEE
•MAPS - GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION EASY TO SEE

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 USE OF GRAPH

140
Total sales of textiles (in lakhs)

120
100
80
60
40
20
0
0 85 86 87 88 89 90
Year

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 BAR CHART

350
300
No of employees

250
200
150
100
50
0
0 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Age

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 PIE CHART

Dividends Equipment
10%
15%
Tax
R& D 10%
5%
Misc
15%
Interest payment
15%

Raw material
20%
Salaries
20%

10.4.7 Systems Analysis And Design © V. Rajaraman 29 of 29

 PIE CHART

Dividends Equipment
10%
15%
Tax
R& D 10%
5%
Misc
15%
Interest payment
15%

Raw material
20%
Salaries
20%

Systems Analysis And Design © V. Rajaraman 16 of 25 of module3