Chapter 14 Systems Analysis and Design Instructor’s Manual 14-1

Chapter 14
Human-Computer Interaction
Key Points and Objectives
1. The concept of designing for HCI is to try to ensure system functionality and usability, to provide
effective user interaction support, and to enhance a pleasant user experience.

2. The overarching goal of HCI is to achieve both organizational and individual user effectiveness
and efficiency.

3. To reach HCI goals, managers and developers need to be knowledgeable about the interplay
among users, tasks, task contexts, information technology (IT), and the environments in which
systems are used.

4. It is important that the fit among the user, computer, and task all correspond.

5. The analyst should try to make the best possible use of people in designing a computerized task
intended to meet an organizational objective. Better fit results in better performance and greater
overall well-being for the human involved in the system.

6. Well-being is a concern for a human’s overall comfort, safety, and health; it is their physical as
well as psychological state.

7. How users feel about themselves, their identities, their work life, and performance can all be
gauged through assessing their attitudes.

8. Usability standards cover the use of the product (effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a
particular context of use), the user interface and interaction, the process used to develop the
product, and the capability of an organization to apply user-centered design.

9. There are 11 usability heuristics:

A. Visibility of system status

B. Match between the system and the real world
C. User control and freedom
D. Consistency and standards
E. Error prevention
F. Reconnection rather than recall
G. Flexibility and efficiency of use
H. Aesthetic and minimalist design
I. Help that users recognize
J. Diagnosis and recovery from errors
K. Help and documentation

10. One important consideration is that data, particularly data used for decision making, are made
available in different forms so that users with different cognitive abilities can make sense of them.

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Chapter 14 Human-Computer Interaction 14-2

11. Pivot tables allow users to arrange data in a table in any way they choose. The idea of a pivot
table is useful because it gives users greater control over how they look at data in different ways
within a table.

12. Physical considerations in HCI design include vision, hearing, and touch.

13. When designing from an HCI perspective, you start realizing that limitations are often discussed
in terms of disabilities.

14. When designing from an HCI perspective, your foremost concern will always be assisting a user
in accomplishing a task, set by the organization, with the use of technology.

15. The user interface is the system that helps users’ communication with the computer system and/or
the application system. To design a better user interface, systems analysts should address the
following objectives:

A. Match the interface to the task.

B. Make the interface efficient.
C. Provide appropriate feedback to users.
D. Generating usable queries.
E. Improve productivity of knowledge workers.

16. The user interface has two main components: presentation language, which is the computer-to-
human part of the transaction; and action language that characterizes the human-to-computer
portion.

17. There are several different kinds of user interfaces available. They are:

A. Natural-language interfaces, which permit users to interact with the computer in their
everyday or “natural” language.
B. Question-and-answer interfaces, in which the computer displays a question for the user
on the screen, and then the user enters an answer via the keyboard and the computer acts
on that input information in a preprogrammed manner.
C. A menu interface, which provides the user with an on-screen list of available selections.
GUI menus have the following guidelines:

i. The main menu should have secondary menus grouped into similar features.
ii. The secondary drop-down menus often consist of more than one word.
iii. Secondary options perform actions or display additional menu options.

D. Form-fill interfaces, which are on-screen forms displaying fields containing data items or
parameters that need to be communicated to the user. Form-fill interfaces may be
implemented using the Web.
E. Graphical user interfaces (GUIs), which graphically supply the user with a strong
metaphor of the application and allow direct manipulation of the graphical representation
on the screen, which can be accomplished with keyboard input, joystick, or mouse. This
interface requires more system sophistication than the interfaces discussed previously.
F. Web interfaces require careful planning and a clear cut design.

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Chapter 14 Systems Analysis and Design Instructor’s Manual 14-3

18. Touch-sensitive screens allow a user to use a finger to activate the display and use multitouch
gestures (also called capacitive sensing) for moving from one screen to another or from one state
to another on the same screen.

19. The three gestures that can be used to interface with touch-sensitive smartphones and tablets are
tapping, swiping, and pinching.

20. Alerts, notices, and queries are forms of output on smartphones and tablets.

21. Alerts are for critical information that the user needs to know in a timely manner.

22. Notifications convey non-critical information to a user, such as that an update to the app is
available.

23. Queries ask questions of the user.

Badges are little red circles, quiet and passive that are an unobtrusive way to send a message to
the user.

24. Voice Recognition, such as Siri (Apple) speak in a natural language. Siri does not need to be
taught to respond to your voice commands

25. Dialog is the communication between a person and the computer. There are three key points to be
considered:

A. Meaningful communication
B. Minimal user action
C. Standard operation and consistency

26. Communication means that the user understands the information that is being presented. Users
with less skill require a greater amount of communication.

27. Easy-to-use help screens should be provided. Often these contain hyperlinks to other related help
topics.

28. The minimal operator action goal is achieved by:

A. Entering codes instead of code meanings.

B. Entering only data that is not stored on files.
C. Not requiring users to enter editing characters.
D. Supplying default values on entry screens.
E. Providing inquiry programs with short entry fields.
F. Providing keystrokes for selecting menu options that are normally selected using a
mouse.
G. Selecting codes from a pull-down menu on a GUI screen.
H. Using radio buttons and drop-down lists to control displays of new Web pages or
to change Web forms.
I. Providing cursor control for Web forms and other displays so that the cursor moves to the
next field when the right number of characters has been entered.

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29. Standard operation of online systems is achieved by:

A. Keeping heading and footer information in the same locations for all screens.
B. Using the same method or keystrokes to exit a program.
C. Using the same method or keystrokes to cancel a transaction.
D. Using a standard key for or method for obtaining help.
E. Standardized use of icons when using graphical user interface screens.
F. Consistent use of terminology within a screen or website.
G. Providing a consistent way to navigate through the dialogue.
H. Consistent font alignment, size, and color on a Web page.

30. All systems require feedback in order to monitor and change behavior by comparing current
behavior with predetermined goals, and give back information describing the gap between actual
and intended performance.

31. Feedback to the user from the system is necessary in seven distinct situations:

A. The computer has accepted the input.

B. The input is in the correct form.
C. The input is not in the correct form.
D. There will be a delay in processing.
E. The request has been completed.
F. The computer is unable to complete the request.
G. More detailed feedback is available (and how to get it).

32. Program help comes in a variety of ways:

A. Pressing a function key, such as F1.

B. A GUI pull-down menu.
C. Context-sensitive help, specific for the operation being performed.
D. Help obtained when a cursor is left over an icon for a few seconds.
E. Wizards, which provide a series of questions and answers when trying to perform an
operation.
F. Telephone help desks provided by the software manufacturer.
G. Software forums on the Web.

33. Extra considerations are needed when developing ecommerce websites.

A. Feedback needs to be solicited from customers, using either of two methods:

i. Launch the user’s email program.

ii. Create a blank feedback template with a submit button labeled “feedback.”

B. Intuitive navigation should be designed, including:

i. Creating a rollover menu.

ii. Building a collection of hierarchical links.
iii. Placing a site map on the home page and emphasizing the link to it from every
page on the site.
iv. Placing a navigational bar on every inside page that repeats the categories used
on the entry screen.

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Chapter 14 Systems Analysis and Design Instructor’s Manual 14-5

34. A mashup is when two or more application programming interfaces (API) are used together. An
API is a set of small programs and protocols used like building blocks for building software
applications. Many mashups are open-source.

35. There are six different types of queries:

A. Obtain specified data for a particular entity.

B. Find a group of entities that have certain characteristics.
C. Find attributes for an entity for certain characteristics.
D. Display all the attributes for a certain entity.
E. Find all entities with a certain characteristic.
F. List attributes for all entities for certain characteristics.

36. There are two main methods for implementing queries in a database system:

A. Query By Example (QBE), which allows users to select fields and specify conditions
using a grid.
B. Structured Query Language (SQL), which uses a series of keywords and commands to
select the rows and columns that should be displayed.

37. A parameter query allows users to enter a value to select records without changing the query
syntax.

Consulting Opportunity 14.1 (p. 407)

School Spirit Comes in Many Sizes

The solution is to use a pivot table to provide different views of the data. Product demand varies with the
season (football, basketball, and so on) and with the school, but also varies depending on school spirit and
whether the team wins or loses. It may make sense to show figures by season, but monthly figures would
also be useful. Weekly figures may vary too much to see a pattern. Using Excel, create the pivot table by
dropping the product field onto the left area of the pop-up box, the sales figures into the data item area,
and the months along the top in the column area. This should be done for each university. A pivot table
could also be created showing products, sales, and seasons and another for products, total sales, and
university. A last pivot table should be created showing sales by year for each product, spanning a period
of years, perhaps with enrollments for each of the universities for each year.

A line graph would be useful for showing total monthly sales for each of the three universities, another
one might show individual product sales over the months of the school year, and a third line graph
showing total product sales over a span of years.

Column charts may be used to show product sales for each of the three universities or for products sold
each season. A 100-percent column chart might show the percent of each product sold by each university.
This would help to predict what universities are purchasing the most of one product, followed by an
analysis of when the peak sales for the product have historically been. This would help to predict future
trends. Pie charts could be used to show the same data or to show sales of products for the entire school
year for each university. A third use of pie charts is to show total sales for each product.

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Chapter 14 Human-Computer Interaction 14-6

Scatter charts might be used to show total product sales for each semester and enrollments for the
semester.

A dashboard may be used to show different views and table data in one location.

Suggestions for a person that has low vision would be to change the distance and angle of the person
viewing the graphs, use uniform fonts that are of a larger size, have thicker lines on the charts, use high
contrast colors to highlight different sections of a pie chart, different bars on a column chart, or different
lines on a line chart.

Consulting Opportunity 14.2 (p. 408)

I’d Rather Do It Myself

Natural-language interfaces are not recommended at the moment because development for general use is
at the infant stage. Question-and-answer interfaces are not appropriate for Miwaye because he is quite
familiar with the computer. Thus, the best interface for him is a menu-driven DSS that includes graphics
capability and models. However, the system designer should give him options that allow him to
manipulate the system as he wants.

Consulting Opportunity 14.3 (p. 410)

Don’t Slow Me Down

For Carrie Moore, who has expertise in data entry, systems analysts need to provide input/output forms as
an interface because she does not need to understand the meaning of questions and she does not need to
make her own answers, either. Thus, input/output forms with a tab function that moves the cursor to the
next input field automatically should be the interface for a user like Carrie Moore.

Consulting Opportunity 14.4 (p. 414)

Waiting to Be Fed

To answer this question, you have to remember the term “user’s information needs for many different
kinds of feedback,” and “user-friendly.” In other words, whenever you are involved in a software
development project as a systems analyst, you should design screens and write documentation from the
users’ perspective. Try to use easy-to-understand terms, use simple sentences, don’t assume users’
knowledge on programming or system theory, and, most of all, prepare instructions and documentation in
as detailed a fashion as possible.

Based upon this rationale, we may figure out a few possible solutions to the question. First, display a
message “Transaction processing is in progress. Please wait,” whenever it takes time to process. Second,
provide detailed on-screen instructions such as “Press return key to continue,” “Press F7 for printing,” or
“Press F1 for help.” Third, you must check the software for any logic errors.

The prototype screen may be either a character-based or GUI screen. If it is character-based, it should
include a message line at the bottom of the screen that provides feedback messages, such as “File Saved,”
“Please Wait,” and instructions, such as “Enter the next salesperson number.”

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Chapter 14 Systems Analysis and Design Instructor’s Manual 14-7

A GUI screen should include a rotating hourglass when there is a delay in processing. When a file is
saved, the title bar of the GUI screen should say the name of the file and, in parentheses, “File Saved” or
perhaps a message dialog box that says, “File Saved.” When a file is loaded, the name of the file should
appear in the title bar.

Consulting Opportunity 14.5 (p. 418)

When You Run a Marathon It Helps to Know Where You’re Going

1. Using a mashup with Google Maps would be useful because Marathon Vitamin Shops also have a
chain of stores. Google Maps would help customers locate stores in their geographical area. In
addition, it would be useful for Marathon to sell over the Web but allow customers to return
goods to a local store.

2. Chat rooms and message boards would also make sense for Marathon to include. It would be
useful for people experiencing certain medical problems or those looking to increase vitality or
sports performance to be able to communicate with others in a similar situation.

3. Blogs would be a good idea to incorporate on the website. Customers could comment on the
effectiveness of products, their shopping experience, and so on. However, it could also be a
detriment if customers were not happy with the shopping experience, found products at a lower
price elsewhere, or did not find the products particularly useful (this may be good in the long run,
because it is bad business to have false claims about product effectiveness).

4. Registering with multiple search engines would be very useful on the site, especially because the
entire catalog is online. It would allow customers to find products and information about the
products.

5. Medical information would also be good to include. Many people using vitamins would like
information about the use of vitamins and supplements.

6. News feeds and financial market information would not be an added bonus to the website.
Customers going to Marathon would not necessarily be interested in this information or may use
other more extensive financial websites.

Consulting Opportunity 14.6 (p. 425)

Hey, Look Me Over—Reprise

Some possible queries that may satisfy Annie’s needs are:

1. When is the costume “A” purchased (DDMMYYYY)?

2. Who is the maker of costume “A”?
3. How long does it take to get costume “A” delivered?
4. What is the average life of costume “A”?
5. What is the unit price of costume “A”?
6. What is the rental price of costume “A” per day?
7. How often is it rented (times/month)?
8. When is the most recent date of rental of costume “A” (DDMMYYYY)?

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9. List the inventory of all the costumes with the quantity.

10. List the customers who rented the costumes with us in alphabetical order.

The queries would be different in a hyperlinked system because much of the information may be provided
by clicking a link. For example, click on a link called maker of costume to answer the question, Who is
the maker of costume “A”? Hyperlinks may also be used to bring up sales, customer, and other details for
each costume.

HyperCase Experience 14
1. Write a short proposal describing what type of user interface would be appropriate for the users
of the project reporting system who are in the training group. Include reasons for your decision.

The interfaces designed for the Training Unit would ideally be a graphical user interface (GUI)
and ideally would use a Web interface. The Training Unit is familiar with Shiromas (Macintosh
clones) which use a GUI interface and there will be less resistance to change. If a GUI interface
cannot be constructed, pull-down menus would be the next logical choice. Again, the Shiroma
computers include a pull-down menu interface. Additionally, the interface should provide
adequate feedback and include context-sensitive help and perhaps incorporate the use of wizards.
One has to remember that the Training Unit is comprised of people who are artists and trainers,
more occasional users of the computer for business activities. It should also have an easy
interface for the users to generate reports.

2. Design a user interface using a CASE tool, such as Visible Analyst, a software package such as
Microsoft Access, or paper layout forms for the training group. What are the key features that
address the needs of the people in the training group?

Students should include pull-down menus for adding, modifying, deleting, providing inquiry, and
producing reports for training project information. If the student has access and is familiar with
graphics software, they might want to construct a graphical menu bar that would be placed on the
top of the interface screen.

3. Write a short proposal describing what type of user interface would be appropriate for the users
of the B2B ecommerce systems Melanie Corazón described in her interview. Include reasons for
your decision.

A sample proposal would be to use a Web form-fill interface. The reason for this decision is that it
allows the person doing the B2B ecommerce to take advantage of the various drop-down menus,
radio buttons, check boxes, text fields, and other familiar form controls.

4. Design a user interface using a CASE tool, such as Visible Analyst, a software package such as
Microsoft Access, or paper layout forms for the users of the B2B ecommerce systems Melanie
Corazón described. What are the key features that address the needs of the people who use B2B
ecommerce systems on the Web?

Because there is not a list of form elements, the design will vary from student to student. Some of
the elements that should be included are:

A. There may be a preliminary selection list or radio buttons for the user to choose the type
of component, for example, a board or software or both.

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B. A drop-down list of current engineering components, boards, and so on.

C. Text boxes to enter the business name, address, contact person, address, telephone
number, email address, and so on.
D. A link to a new Web page or entry fields that would allow the customer to customize a
product.
E. A link to a new Web page or entry fields to enter specifications for a new product.

5. Make a bulleted list of any usability concerns Ashley might have with the interfaces you designed.

The list will vary widely from student to student, depending on the design created in Point 4.
Some of the usability concerns might be:

A. American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance

B. Correct arrangement and flow of form elements
C. Language considerations
D. Testing in different browsers
E. Correct sequence of forms

Answers to Review Questions

1. Define HCI.

HCI is the human-computer interface. The concept of designing for HCI is to try to ensure system
functionality and usability, to provide effective user interaction support, and to enhance a pleasant
user experience.

2. Explain how fit among the HCI elements of the human, the computer, and the tasks to be
performed leads to performance and well-being.

The analyst should try to make the best possible use of people in designing a computerized task
intended to meet an organizational objective. Better fit results in better performance and greater
overall well-being for the human involved in the system.

3. What are the components of the term performance in the HCI context?

Performance refers to a combination of the efficiency involved in performing a task and the
quality of the work that is produced by the task.

4. What is meant by the word well-being when used using an HCI approach?

Well-being is a concern for a human’s overall comfort, safety, and health; it is their physical as
well as psychological state.

5. List 5 of the 11 usability heuristics for judging the usability of computer systems and ecommerce
websites provided by Nielsen and others.

Pick any 5 from the following 11 usability heuristics:

A. Visibility of system status

B. Match between the system and the real world

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C. User control and freedom

D. Consistency and standards
E. Error prevention
F. Reconnection rather than recall
G. Flexibility and efficiency of use
H. Aesthetic and minimalist design
I. Help that users recognize
J. Diagnosis and recovery from errors
K. Help and documentation

6. Describe some of the ways that a pivot table allows a user to arrange data.

The user would take an item and drag it over to a table template and drop it in one of the blank
areas. By dragging different items in different orders, different views of the data are presented.

7. List three physical considerations that HCI design addresses.

The three physical considerations that HCI design addresses are vision, hearing, and touch.

8. List three ways that analysts can improve task or interface design to help, respectively, a person
who is visually impaired, hearing impaired, or mobility impaired.

The analyst can improve the interface design to help a visually impaired person by considering
the length of the distance from display to the person; the angle of the display in relation to the
person viewing it; the size and uniformity of the characters; the brightness, contrast, balance, and
glare of the screen; and whether a display is blinking or stable. For people who are blind or who
have low vision, use Braille keyboards as well as special speech reading software. For low vision
people, use screen magnifiers. For people who lack certain perceptual sensitivity, test the colors
you are choosing to make certain that they can be easily distinguished from one another.

The analyst can improve the interface design to help a hearing impaired person by considering the
noise level in the work place, such as noisy printers. For users who experience impaired hearing,
ensure that the documents and screens you design include access to written versions of the audio
material. You might design tasks where headphones can be successfully used.

The analyst can improve the interface design to help a mobility impaired person by considering
speech input rather than keyboarding. New advances in biomedical engineering permit mobility-
impaired users to move the cursor on the screen by breathing into a tube or by directing the cursor
to the desired spot on the screen by looking at that spot or even, in some highly specialized
interfaces, by thinking about where the cursor should move.

9. What are the five objectives for designing user interfaces?

The five objectives for designing user interfaces are matching the user interface to the task,
efficiency, providing appropriate feedback, generating usable queries, and productivity.

10. Define natural-language interface. What is the major drawback of these interfaces?

A natural-language interface is the system that allows users to interact with the computer in their
everyday or “natural” language. The major drawbacks are implementation problems and an
extraordinary demand on computing resources.

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11. Explain what is meant by question-and-answer interfaces. To what kind of users are they best
suited?

A question-and-answer interface displays a question to the user on the screen. In order to interact,
the user enters an answer via the keyboard and the computer acts on that input information in a
preprogrammed manner. New users, unfamiliar with computers, may find the question and
answer interface most comfortable, and gain confidence quickly.

12. Describe how users use onscreen menus.

The menu interface provides the user with an onscreen list of available selections. To use the
menu interface, the user only need select his/her choice by following the given direction.

13. What is a nested menu? What are its advantages?

A nested menu is a menu that can be reached through another menu. Users can access nested
menus through options in a program. The advantages of nested menus are:

A. Nested menus allow the screen to appear less cluttered.

B. Nested menus allow users to avoid seeing menu options in which they have no interest so
irrelevant user information is reduced.
C. Nested menus can move users quickly through the program.

14. Define onscreen input/output form. What is their chief advantage?

Input/output forms are on-screen forms displaying fields containing data items or parameters that
need to be communicated to the user. The chief advantage of the input/output form interface is
that the printed version of the filled-in form provides excellent documentation. It shows field
labels as well as the context for entries.

15. What are the advantages of Web-based fill-in forms?

The advantage of using a Web-based form is that it puts the responsibility on the user for entering
the data. A second advantage is that data may be entered 24 hours a day, worldwide.

16. What are the drawbacks of Web-based form-fill interfaces?

The drawback of using a Web-based form is that the user may not know what to enter if the form
is not clear. They might also be nervous about using a credit card over the Internet.

17. Define the term “graphical user interface.” What is the key difficulty they present for
programmers?

Graphical user interfaces graphically supply the user with a strong metaphor of the application. It
allows direct manipulation of the graphical representation on the screen, which can be
accomplished with keyboard input, joystick, or mouse. Direct manipulation requires more system
sophistication than the other interfaces. Thus, analysts and programmers should have several
skills to create the model of reality or the acceptable conceptual model of the representation.

18. For what type of user is a GUI particularly effective?

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Inexperienced, average users.

19. What is a synonym for the term “capacitive sensing”?

The term synonymous with “capacitive sensing” is “multitouch gestures.”

20. List three gestures that can be used to interface with touch-sensitive smartphones and tablets.

The three gestures that can be used to interface with touch-sensitive smartphones and tablets are
tapping, swiping, and pinching.

21. Describe a problem that can occur if a designer uses nonstandard gestures to create an interface
for smartphones or tablets.

A problem that might occur is that the user thinks that the gesture does one thing and it does
another, which may be confusing for the customer.

22. Why is the metaphor important in designing a user interface for an app?

The metaphor is important in designing a user interface for an app because it takes a familiar
image and uses it as part of the interface. An example is the spinning wheels of Allrecipes
“Dinner Spinner.”

23. What do alerts do in a smartphone or tablet interface?

Alerts in a smartphone or tablet interface provide critical information that the user needs to know
in a timely manner.

24. What do badges do in a smartphone or tablet interface?

Badges in a smartphone or tablet interface are quiet, passive, unobtrusive way to send a message
to the user.

25. Why is it important to include an opt-out option on all notices and alerts for smartphone and
tablet users?

It is important to include an opt-out option on all notices and alerts for smartphone and tablet
users because many users just do not want to be notified with information or alerts.

26. Why is it a good idea to avoid the use of a badge on apps?

It is a good idea to avoid the use of a badge on apps because they are often ignored and may be
outdated.

27. Designs for the iPhone can take advantage of using voice recognition, called Siri. Is Siri an
intelligent agent? Why or why not?

Siri is not (at this time) an intelligent agent because it doesn’t yet understand you and your
preferences.

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28. What are the three guidelines for designing good screen dialog?

The three guidelines for designing good screen dialog are:

A. Meaningful communication
B. Minimal user action
C. Standard operation and consistency

29. What are the roles of icons, graphics, and color in providing feedback?

The roles of icons, graphics, and color in providing feedback are:

A. Icons may be used to show that the system is working, such as an hourglass, a piece of
paper being moved between folders, and so on, when there is a delay in processing.
B. Graphics may be used for providing feedback, such as a dialog box with a red
exclamation point when an error has occurred.
C. Color is useful in providing feedback, such as a field turning red when it is in error or
green for valid data.

30. List eight ways for achieving the goal of minimal operator action when designing a user
interface.

The eight ways for achieving the goal of minimal operator action are:

A. Key codes on entry screens.

B. Entering data that is not already stored on files.
C. Not requiring users to enter editing characters, such as slashes, commas, or decimal
points.
D. Using default values on entry screens.
E. Using partial field entry (a few letters) to display matching records and allowing the user
to select the correct record.
F. Providing keystrokes for pull-down menus.
G. Using radio buttons and drop-down lists to control displays of new Web pages or to
change Web forms.
H. Providing cursor control for Web forms and other displays so that the cursor moves to the
next field when the right number of characters has been entered.

31. List five standards that can aid in evaluating user interfaces.

The five useful standards in evaluating the interfaces are:

A. The necessary training period for users should be acceptably short.

B. Users early in their training should be able to enter commands without thinking about
them, or referring to a help menu or manual.
C. The interface should be “seamless” so that errors are few, and those that do occur are not
occurring because of poor design.
D. Time necessary for users and the system to bounce back from errors should be short.
E. Infrequent users should be able to relearn the system quickly.

32. What are the seven situations that require feedback for users?

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The seven situations that require feedback for users are:

A. The computer has accepted the input.

B. The input is in the correct form.
C. The input is not in the correct form.
D. There will be a delay in processing.
E. The request has been completed.
F. The computer is unable to complete the request.
G. More detailed feedback is available (and how to get it).

33. What is a suitable way of telling the user that input was accepted?

One way to acknowledge acceptance of input is advancing the cursor one character at a time
when the letters are entered correctly.

34. When a user is informed that his or her input is not in the correct form, what additional feedback
should be given at the same time?

When data are incorrect, one way to inform the user is to generate a window that briefly describes
the problem with the input and how the user can correct it.

35. List four ways to notify a Web user that the input is not in the correct form.

The four ways to notify a Web user that the input is not in the correct form are:

A. Return a new page with the message on the side of the field containing the error.
B. Display a message box on the current screen with details about the specific error.
C. Detect multiple errors and display text messages on the page.
D. Audio feedback

36. Why is it unacceptable to notify the user that input is not correct solely through the use of
beeping or buzzing?

Notifying the user that input is not correct solely through the use of beeping or buzzing is not
acceptable because it may cause users to become disgruntled or frustrated. Also, audio feedback
alone is not descriptive.

37. When a request is not completed, what feedback should be provided to the user?

When a request is not completed, the system needs to provide users with feedback by displaying a
message to allow them to check their request.

38. Describe two types of website designs for eliciting feedback from customers.

Two types of website design for eliciting feedback from customers are:

A. Launch the user’s email program.

B. Create a blank feedback template with a submit button labeled “feedback.”

39. List four practical ways that an analyst can improve the ease of user navigation and the
stickiness of an ecommerce website.

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Four practical ways that an analyst can improve the ease of user navigation and the stickiness of
an ecommerce website are:

A. Creating a rollover menu.

B. Building a collection of hierarchical links.
C. Placing a site map on the home page and emphasizing the link to it from every page on
the site.
D. Placing a navigational bar on every inside page that repeats the categories used on the
entry screen.
40. What are hypertext links? Where should they be used?

Hypertext links are words on a screen (usually in a different color) that may be clicked to display
additional text screens relating to the text in the link field. They are often used for help screens
but may be used with any textual screen.
41. Describe what a mashup is.

When two or more application programming interfaces (API) are used together they form a
mashup. An API is a set of small programs and protocols used like building blocks for building
software applications. Many mashups are open-source.
42. List in shorthand notation the six basic query types.

Where V stands for the value, E for entity, A for attribute, and the variables in parentheses are
given:

A. Query type 1

V <— (E,A)

B. Query type 2

E <— (V,A)

C. Query type 3

A <— (V,E)

D. Query type 4

V <— (E, all A)

E. Query type 5

E <— (V, all A)

F. Query type 6

A <— (V, all E)

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Chapter 14 Human-Computer Interaction 14-16

Problems
1. Manu Narayan owns several first-class hotels worldwide, including properties in Manhattan,
Bombay, and even some in suburbia. He wants to make sure that the human-computer interface is
appropriate to each culture but wants to be able to share the software among all of his hotel
reservations departments. Design a nested menus interface for a check-in and checkout hotel
reservation system that can be used internationally. Use numbers to select a menu item. Show
how each menu would look on a standard PC display.

A sample menu is shown below, with a second menu following it. The students could also design
a drop-down menu. The changes needed for international users would be the order of the menu
items. For example, in Japanese culture, reading is from the lower right to the upper left. Menu
numbers and descriptions would be in the language of the country, as well as colors and icons.
Instructions should be translated correctly by a person that is fluent in the language of the
country. Date formats should also correspond to the format used by the culture, not necessarily
month, day, and year. A drop-down list of the language may be used. If the menu is on the Web,
the country language code may be used to detect the menu and load a new Web page based on the
language.

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2. Stefan Lano needs displays that will show the musical instrument inventory in his chain of music
stores that caters to musicians playing in world-class symphony orchestras in Basel, Switzerland;
Buenos Aires, Argentina; Philadelphia; and New York. Design a form-fill interface for the
inventory control of musical instruments in all four stores that could be used on a PC display
screen. Assume that English will be the interface language.

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Chapter 14 Human-Computer Interaction 14-18

Z9/99/99 Musical Instrument Inventory Control HH :MM

Instrument Code: _________ Classification Code: ___

Country: _____________________________

City: _____________________________

Store Name: ____________________________________

Instrument Name: ___________________________________________

Manufacturer: ___________________________________________

Purchase Date: __ / __ / ____ (Month, Day, Year format)

Serial Number: ____________________________________

On-Hand: _____ Unit Price: ______

F1 - HELP, F2 - CHANGE SCREEN, F3 - EXIT, F4 - PREVIOUS SCREEN

3. Design a Web-based form-fill interface to accomplish the same task as in Problem 2.

a. What difficulties did you encounter? Discuss them in a paragraph.
b. Of the two designs you did, which would you say is better suited to Mr. Lano’s task?
Why? List three reasons for your choice. How would you test their usability?

A suggested website is shown below.

a. The difficulties encountered are deciding which fields to change into other formats, such
as putting the classification code into a drop-down list.

b. The Web-based form would be better suited because the company is selling instruments
from many locations, and the Internet would be well suited for the task. It also provides a
means for handling international sales and having representatives update the data
globally. A third benefit of using the Web is increased accuracy by using drop-down lists
whenever possible. Test their usability by having users test the system and react to error
messages, note how efficient the system is, the match between the real-world business
and the system, and aesthetic design.

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4. A UK-based travel agent, Euan Morton, LLC, would like your systems team to design a
smartphone and tablet interface he can give away free to his clients for booking seats for airlines
with which his firm has solid business ties, such as British Air, RyanAir, and Virgin Atlantic.
a. Show what the interface would look like on a smartphone display.
b. Make a list of gestures that you should include for users to activate the display to book
an airline seat and write down what each gesture does

a. The design of the display will vary depending on the student. A suggested display
is on the next pages.

b. The gestures would be:

Tapping to enter data into a field.

Swiping to select from airport lists that would display when entering the
departure and arrival airports.
Swiping to view more flights.
Tapping to select seats.
Pinching to expand or contract the airplane seating chart.

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Chapter 14 Systems Analysis and Design Instructor’s Manual 14-21

5. An IT executive, Felicia Finley, from Jersey IT Innovators, Inc., has asked that you design a
graphical user interface for an executive desktop to help her in her work. Use icons for file
cabinets, a wastebasket, a telephone, and so on. Show how they would appear on the computer
display.

The GUI interface will vary from student to student. Some icons would be somewhat standard,
such as a wastebasket, telephone, calculator, and so on.

6. Josh and Colleen, a celebrity chef couple and restaurant owners from Cherry Hill, New Jersey,
want to be able to receive clear feedback on the systems used to manage food inventory at their
many “farm to table” restaurants in Philadelphia and New York City. Design a display that
provides appropriate feedback for a user whose daily update report on locally available produce
has been successfully sent to the chefs.

The report has been successfully sent to the chefs.

OK

7. Design a screen for a payroll software package that displays information telling Josh and

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Chapter 14 Human-Computer Interaction 14-22

Colleen from Problem 6 how to get more detailed feedback.

Include something like the following:

Click here for additional information

or

More information »

8. Design a Web-based display that shows an acceptable way to tell Josh and Colleen that input to
their system was accepted.

There are three types of feedback messages:

A. Action successful.
B. An error in the user entry.
C. Please wait messages, indicating that a response time of more than 5 to 10 seconds will
elapse.

The Web screen should include messages, such as those shown below, along with an image that
reinforces the message. Designs will vary widely from student to student.

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Chapter 14 Systems Analysis and Design Instructor’s Manual 14-23

a. Action successful message examples.

b. User entry error message.

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Chapter 14 Human-Computer Interaction 14-24

c. Please wait message.

9. Design a feedback form for Josh and Colleen’s devoted restaurant customers using an
ecommerce website to purchase their cookbook.

An example of a feedback form for customers using an ecommerce website is illustrated below.

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Chapter 14 Systems Analysis and Design Instructor’s Manual 14-25

10. Write six different queries for the file in Problem 1 in Chapter 13.

Query type 1: Display the date the lease expires for a specified person.
Query type 2: List all renters whose rent is greater than $599.99.
Query type 3: None—there are no one-to-many relationships for this file.
Query type 4: List all information for a given renter or apartment number.
Query type 5: List all renters whose lease expires on 4/30.
Query type 6: None—no multiple related attributes.

11. Write six different queries for the 3NF relation in Problem 6 in Chapter 13.

Query type 1: Display the student name given the number.

Query type 2: List student ID’s and names for all MIS majors.
Query type 3: Which courses a given student received A’s for.
Query type 4: List the name, major, and status for a given student ID.
Query type 5: List all student names for individuals that have received a grade of A in the
Systems Analysis course.
Query type 6: List all courses students have received an A grade.

12. Design a search that will find potential competitors of a company such as World’s Trend on the
Web. Assume you are the customer.

The search parameters should include something similar to one of the following (although
students may come up with many other criteria):

A. Retail and Clothing

B. Fashion and Clothing and Sale
C. Clothing and Sale
D. Clothes and Fashion
E. Apparel and Sale

13. Search for World’s Trend’s potential competitors on the Web. (Remember that you won’t find
World’s Trend itself on the Web. It is a fictional company.) Make a list of those you’ve found.

The results of this exercise will vary from student to student, depending on what they used for
search criteria and when the search was conducted (new websites appear every day).

Group Projects
1. With your group members, create a pull-down menu for an employment agency that matches
professional candidates to position openings. Include a list of keystrokes that would directly
invoke the menu options using the ALT-X format. The menu has the following options:

Add employee
Change employee
Delete employee
Employee inquiry
Position inquiry

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Chapter 14 Human-Computer Interaction 14-26

Employer inquiry
Add employer
Change employer
Delete employer
Match employee to opening
Print open positions report
Print successful matches report
Add position
Change position
Delete position

The pull-down for the Employment Agency is illustrated below, showing the Update Files option.
The Alt-X keystrokes are shown, alphabetized, below the screen. Included are the Alt-X
keystrokes for the inquiry and report menu options.

Update Files Inquiries Reports Exit

Add Employee ALT-A

Change Employee ALT-C
Delete Employee ALT-D
Add Employer ALT-M
Change Employer ALT-H
Delete Employer ALT-E
Add Position ALT-P
Change Position ALT-G
Delete Position ALT-L

List of Alt keys used List of inquiry and report options

ALT-A Add New Employee Inquiries

ALT-C Change Employee
ALT-D Delete Employee ALT-Y
Employer Inquiry
ALT-E Delete Employer ALT-Q
Employee Inquiry
ALT-F Print Successful Matches Report ALT-S
Position Inquiry
ALT-G Change Position
ALT-H Change Employer Reports
ALT-I Perform Inquiry
ALT-L Delete Position ALT-O
Match Employee to Opening Report
ALT-M Add New Employer ALT-N Print Open Positions
Report
ALT-N Print Open Positions Report ALT-F
Print Successful Matches Report

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Chapter 14 Systems Analysis and Design Instructor’s Manual 14-27

ALT-O Match Employee to Opening Report

ALT-P Add New Position
ALT-Q Employee Inquiry
ALT-R Produce Reports
ALT-S Position Inquiry
ALT-T Delete Position
ALT-U Update Files
ALT-X Exit
ALT-Y Employer Inquiry

2. In a paragraph, describe the problems your group faced in creating this menu.
The problems that occur when creating the Alt-X notation is that the letters quickly become used
and the ones that are used are not necessarily near the beginning of the menu option text.

3. The drag and drop feature is used in GUIs and allows the user to move sentences around in a
word processing package. As a group, suggest how drag and drop can be used to its fullest
potential in the following applications:
a. Project management software (Chapter 3)
b. Relational database program (Chapter 13)
c. Display or forms designer (Chapter 12)
d. Spreadsheet program (Chapter 10)
e. CASE tool for drawing data flow diagrams (Chapter 7)
f. Smartphone calendar (Chapter 3)
g. Illustration in a drawing package (Chapter 10)
h. CASE tool for developing data dictionaries (Chapter 8)
i. Decision tree drawing program (Chapter 9)
j. Website for collecting consumer opinions on new products (Chapter 11)
k. Organizing bookmarks for websites. For each solution your group designs, draw the
display and show movement by using an arrow.

Suggestions for how the drag-and-drop feature may be used are as follows. Note that groups may
come up with many other uses.

a. Project management: drag activities onto PERT charts.

b. Relational database programs: drag screen, report, and query fields into their respective
designs. Drag buttons onto screens. Drag fields in the database tables to control sorting.
c. Display and form designer: drag screen, report, and query fields into their respective
designs. Drag buttons onto screens.
d. Spreadsheet program: drag cells to create totals and put data into formulas.
e. CASE tool: drag objects around the screen and change the size of objects. Drag a line to
connect objects.
f. Smartphone calendar: drag schedule events to dates, drag items on and off of calendars.
g. Illustration in a drawing package: drag objects to change the size, drag objects over one
another.
h. CASE tool for developing data dictionaries: drag elements into a structure. Drag
structures into data flow and data stores.
i. Decision tree drawing program: drag circles and squares to form decisions.
j. Website: drag graphics or linked pages for creating the site.
k. Organizing bookmarks for websites: drag bookmarks into folders and to rearrange the
sequence of the bookmarks.

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Chapter 14 Human-Computer Interaction 14-28

4. Ask all the members of your group to request a search based on their leisure activities (such as
running, dancing, going to the movies). If there are four people in your group, there will be four
unique searches to perform. Now go ahead and do all the searches. Compare your results. Does
the person who is involved with the activity have an advantage over the people who know less
about it? Explain.

The activities will vary depending on the team members and their hobbies. The discussion should
be good and students should be able to explain what they found.

5. Look at the following mashup websites and describe how each of them adds value by providing a
service.
a. Aboutairportparking.com, www.aboutairportparking.com
b. Global Incident Map, www.globalincidentmap.com/home
c. Hawkee Application Developer Network, www.hawkee.com
d. Realtors on Homethinking, www.homethinking.com/
f. Streeteasy, www.streeteasy.com/

a. Aboutairportparking.com,www.aboutairportparking.com

The value added is that the Web page finds and displays a map with airport parking. Click on a
map marker and it will display the information about the marker, along with a Web address for
the business. Other value added is that you can select how you want the data sorted, and you can
get directions by a single click using Google Maps.

b. Global Incident Map, www.globalincidentmap.com/home

This site shows a map of the latest incidents of terrorist activities in the world, with different
icons representing different types of terrorism. It has a scrolling list of the 25 newest events.
Clicking on one of the items in the scrolling list displays a Google Map of the place where the
event has occurred. It also has a scrolling announcement line that has a link to breaking news.
The map automatically reloads every few minutes, and you can search for events by type,
country, date and time, and city. When you put the mouse over an event, it gives a brief
description of the event. Double clicking on an event opens a new page with the map zoomed to
the event.

d. Hawkee Application Developer Network, www.hawkee.com

Comparison shopping with user product reviews.

e. Realtors on Homethinking, www.homethinking.com/

Choose an area and find real estate agents for that locality. Includes customer reviews.

f. Streeteasy, www.streeteasy.com/

Finds places to rent or buy in New York City, includes user comments. Uses Google Maps to
show locations of places to rent or buy. Clicking on a map icon shows the price, size, number of
rooms, and a thumbnail image.

6. The following mashup has political agendas. Suggest three other mashups that attempt to change

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Chapter 14 Systems Analysis and Design Instructor’s Manual 14-29

something by appealing to the public.

Health Care That Works, http://www.healthcarethatworks.org/maps/nyc/

Health Care That Works, www.healthcarethatworks.org/maps/nyc/ On NY

Health care facilities that are available in low-income or areas selected by race. Shows facilities
that are open and those that have been closed since a selected date. Shown on a map including
areas of low-income population.

7. Try these mashups just for fun.

a. The Geography of Seinfeld, www.stolasgeospatial.com/seinfeld.htm
b. PlotShot, www.plotshot.com/
c. Flickr Sudoku, http://flickrsudoku.com
d. liveplasma.com, www.liveplasma.com

a. The Geography of Seinfeld, www.stolasgeospatial.com/seinfeld.htm

Google Map of places included in Seinfeld episodes.

b. PlotShot, www.plotshot.com/

A random plot generator, including thumbnail images, which come from a mashup with Flickr.

c. Flickr Sudoku, http://flickrsudoku.com/

Uses Flickr images of numbers for the Sudoku grid.

d. liveplasma.com, www.liveplasma.com

Uses Amazon to find the relationship between movies, bands, actors, and so on.

For the latest on mashups, go to www.programmableweb.com/. The site lists hundreds of

mashups with new entries being continually added.

Central Pacific University—Problems

1. Use Microsoft Access to view the menu options for the computer system.

Students experiment with the menu options.

2. Examine the HARDWARE INQUIRY. Explain the inquiry type using the value, entity, and
attribute (V, E, A) notation.

Inquiry type: Type 4, all V  (E, all A)

3. In a paragraph, explain why a data entry display should emphasize accuracy, whereas an inquiry
display emphasizes how fast results may be displayed.

If an inquiry program obtains a bad number, an error message or the wrong record is displayed.

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Chapter 14 Human-Computer Interaction 14-30

The data on the files is still intact. However, on a data entry program, when the wrong data is
input and goes undetected, it is stored on the files and makes the information incorrect on screens
and reports that use the field.

4. Modify and print the hierarchy chart representing the Update Hardware menu. The file name in
Visio is Update Hardware. Add rectangles to represent the following menu options:

Change Computer
Delete Computer Record
Update Installed Computer

Computer Update
Hardware Menu

Change Computer Delete Computer Update Installed

Add Computer Record Record Computer

5. Use the Program Structure diagram of Visio or the Functional Decomposition feature of Visible
Analyst to draw a hierarchy chart representing the options found on the Update Software menu.
Start with the top rectangle representing the Update Software menu.

Add Software Package

Change Software Record
Delete Software Record
Upgrade Software Package

The menu hierarchy chart is illustrated below.

Computer Update
Software Menu

Add Software Change Software Delete Software Upgrade Software

Package Records Records Package

6. Chip and Anna realize that the menu that has been designed is for the users involved in the
installation and maintenance of computer hardware and software. This menu would not be
suitable for general faculty and staff members, because they should not have the ability to update
the records. Design a menu, either on paper or using software with which you are familiar, that
would provide the general user with the ability to perform inquiries and reports.

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Chapter 14 Systems Analysis and Design Instructor’s Manual 14-31

The menu is illustrated below.

7. Discuss in a paragraph why the users would need to move to another page (by pressing the Next
Record button) to display the correct record for the SOFTWARE LOCATION inquiry.

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Chapter 14 Human-Computer Interaction 14-32

Users may only enter a partial title for the software (for example, the letter D), and the first record

Main Menu

1. Microcomputer Containing Software

2. Software by Category

3. Software by Room

4. Software Expert

5. Software Location

6. Software Training Classes

7. Hardware Characteristics Inquiry

8. Software Cross-Reference Report

9. New Software Installed Report

matching that partial title (Dreamweaver) would display. They would have to move to subsequent
records to display the desired package.

8. Design the SOFTWARE DETAILS inquiry display. The entry field is SOFTWARE INVENTORY
NUMBER, and all software information, with the exception of EXPERT and MACHINES
INSTALLED ON, should be displayed. Refer to the Visible Analyst (or Repository Web page)
SOFTWARE DETAILS data flow repository entry.

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Chapter 14 Human-Computer Interaction 14-34

9. When scheduling classrooms for student use, Cher Ware needs to know all the software packages
in a given room. She would like to enter the CAMPUS LOCATION and the ROOM on an inquiry
display. The fields would be TITLE, VERSION, SITE LICENSE, and NUMBER OF COPIES.
Design the SOFTWARE BY ROOM inquiry, which is described as a data flow in the Visible
Analyst repository.

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Chapter 14 Systems Analysis and Design Instructor’s Manual 14-35

10. Every so often, Hy Perteks receives a request for help concerning a given software package. Staff
members and students need to perform advanced options or transfer data to and from different
packages, and they are having difficulties. Hy would like to enter the software TITLE and
VERSION NUMBER. The resulting display would show the SOFTWARE EXPERT NAME and his
or her CAMPUS LOCATION and ROOM NUMBER. Design the screen for the LOCATE
SOFTWARE EXPERT inquiry. Describe the logic and files needed to produce the inquiry. Use
value, entity, and attribute (V, E, A) notation for this inquiry. The details for this inquiry are
included in the Visible Analyst SOFTWARE EXPERT data flow repository entry.

Inquiry type: Type 1, V  (E, A)

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11. Hy receives a number of requests for training classes. He would like to plan training and place
the upcoming classes on the intranet so that faculty would have an adequate amount of lead time
to schedule a class. Design the SOFTWARE TRAINING CLASSES inquiry. The details may be
found in the Visible Analyst data flow repository (or the Repository Web page) entry called
SOFTWARE TRAINING CLASSES.

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