Chapter 15

Designing Effective Output

Systems Analysis and Design

Kendall and Kendall
Fifth Edition
Major Topics
„Designing output
„Output technologies
„Factors in choosing an output
technology
„Report design
„Screen design
„Web site design

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Designing Output
„Output should be designed to
„Serve the intended purpose
„Be meaningful to the user
„Deliver the right quantity of output
„Deliver it to the right place
„Provide output on time
„Choose the right output method

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Output Technologies
„ Print
„ The authors use the term ubiquitous when
describing printers. What does that term mean?
„ Screen
„ Audio
„ CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD (digital versatile disk)
„ Microforms (microfiche and microfilm)
„ Electronic output
„ E-mail
„ Faxes
„ Web pages
„ Bulletin board messages
Output Technologies
„Output technologies differ in their
„Speed
„Cost
„Portability
„Flexibility (e.g., turnaround document such
as cable, phone or credit card bills)
„Storage and retrieval possibilities

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Video Clips
„Video clips are useful for
„Supplementing static, printed output
„Distance collaboration
„Showing how to perform an action
„Providing brief training episodes
„Shifting the time of an actual event by
recording it for later output
„Preserving an important occasion for
addition to an organization’s archives
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Push and Pull Technology
„Pull technology allows the user to take
formatted data from the Web
„Push technology sends solicited or
unsolicited information to a customer or
client

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 Factors to Consider When
Choosing Output Technology
„ Who will use the output?
„ How many people need the output?
„ Where is the output needed?
„ What is the purpose of the output?
„ What is the speed with which output is needed?
„ How frequently will the output be accessed?
„ How long will (or must) the output be stored?
„ Under what special regulations is the output produced,
stored, and distributed? e.g., W-2 form
„ What is the initial and ongoing cost of maintenance and
supplies?
„ What are the environmental requirements (e.g., noise) for
output technologies?
Ways Output Bias is Introduced
„How information is sorted
„Alphabetical
„Chronological
„Cost
„Setting of acceptable limits
„Choice of graphics
„Shape
„Color

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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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 Designing Printed Output
„ Report design conventions
„ type of data: alphabetic, special, numeric
„ constant vs. variable information
„ Paper quality, type and size
„ Special output forms – turnaround documents
„ Design considerations
„ Functional attributes:
„ Heading or title of the report
„ Page number
„ Date of preparation
„ Column headings
„ Groupings of related data
„ The use of control breaks
„ Stylistic/aesthetic attributes
„ Organization (well organized)
„ Readability (use of white space)
„ Color coding, logos, preprinted forms
Screen Design Guidelines
„Keep the screen simple
„Keep the screen presentation consistent
„Facilitate user movement among screens
„Create an attractive screen

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Graphs
„ Output must be
„ accurate,
„ easy to understand and
„ use
„ Purpose of the graph must be determined
„ Decision makers must be trained in using it
„ Provide the ability to call up a variety of user
views as well possible commands

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Web Site Design
„ Use professional tools
„ Study other sites
„ Use Web resources
„ Examine the sites of professional Web site designers
„ Use tools that you are familiar with
„ Consult books
„ Look at examples of poorly designed pages
„ Create Web templates. Style sheets allow you to
format all Web pages in a site consistently
„ Use plug-ins, audio, and video sparingly
„ Plan ahead
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Planning a Good Web Site
Pay attention to:
„ Structure
„ Content
„ Text
„ Graphics
„ Presentation
„ Navigation
„ Promotion
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Structure
„Design according to content
„Home page should link to all other pages
„Consider loading times
„May want to use Web site diagramming
and mapping tools
„Find books that discuss Web structure

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Content
„Provide something important
„Adjust content to intended audience
„Include a FAQ page

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Text
„Write text so people can find Web
pages when using keyword searches
„Let people know that they have visited
the correct Web page

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Web Graphics Guidelines
„ Use either JPEG or GIF formats
„ Create a few professional-looking graphics for
use on your page
„ Keep the background simple and readable
„ Examine your Web site on a variety of
monitors and graphics resolutions
„ Save JPEG images at the highest quality
possible within a reasonable size
„ Use horizontal rules to separate sections of
Web pages
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Web Graphics
„Use colorful bullets for lists and hot
buttons for links
„Keep graphics images small and reuse
images Use transparent GIF files to
make images that are not rectangular
„Follow the three clicks rule which states
that you should be able to go to any
page in three clicks

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 Presentation
„ Provide an entry screen (home page)
„ Keep the no. of graphics to a reasonable minimum
„ Use large and colorful fonts for headings
„ Use interesting images and buttons for links
„ Use the same graphics on several Web pages
„ Avoid overusing color, animation, sound and other
elements that make the site cluttered
„ Make sure that the home page loads quickly
„ Add applets if possible
„ Make sure Web pages does not scroll horizontally,
keep the vertical page under 2½ screens
Navigation
„If page is lengthy, provide links to
navigate within the page
„Label hyperlinks clearly
„Provide an area on the left side or on
the top of the Web page for links to
other pages in the Web site

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Promotion
„ Promote your site
„ Submit and resubmit your site every few
months to various search engines
„ Use e-mail to promote your site, but have a
specific reason
„ Encourage your readers to bookmark your site
„ Constantly maintain the site
„ Include the web master’s name

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