M08-Assignment

CISP 457 M08 – Assignment QUESTIONS: 11 – 22 11. What is a site map and an interface structure diagram (ISD), and why are they used?  A site map helps analysts clarify how all the information on the site fits together and helps establish hierarchy of information on the site.  An interface structure diagram defines the basic components of the interface and how they work together to provide functionality to users.  They are used to show the user how to navigate the site. 12. Why are interface standards important?  The interface standards are important because it ensures that interfaces are consistent across a system. 13. Explain the purpose and contents of interface metaphors, interface objects, interface actions, interface icons, and interface templates.  Interface metaphors are concepts from the real world that are used as a model for the information system. For example, a retail shopping cart in e-commerce websites or a calendar to describe an appointment system.  Interface objects are the fundamental building blocks of the system, such as the entities and data stores.  Interface actions are common commands that will be employed by the users.  Interface icons are small icons used to represent interface objects and actions.  Interface templates define the general appearance of the interface components in an information system. 14. Why do we prototype the user interface design?  We prototype the user interface design in the system to show users how the system will work and the programmers what to develop. 15. Compare and contrast the three types of interface design prototypes.  Storyboards are just pictures or drawings of the interface and how the system flows from one interface to another. HTML prototypes are web pages that show the fundamental parts of the system. Users can interact with the system by clicking buttons and entering data, moving from page to page to simulate navigating through the system. Language prototypes create models of the interface in the actual language that will be used to implement the system. These will show the user exactly what the interface will look like, which is not possible with the other two methods. 16. Why is it important to perform an interface evaluation before the system is built?  It is important to perform an interface evaluation before the system is built to make sure that the interface meets the preferences of users before releasing the system. An early

CISP 457 evaluation can also help identify major design problems and therefore can be addressed immediately. 17. Compare and contrast the four types of interface evaluation.  Heuristic evaluation does not involve the user and relies heavily on a design principles checklist. This is considered the weakest of the interface evaluation types.  Walk through evaluation is a meeting where users are presented with a prototype and are walked through the various areas of the interface. The users identify any aspect of the design that needs to be improved.  Interactive evaluation is where the users work with the prototype in one-on-one sessions with members of the project team. While the users go through the prototype, they tell the project teams what they liked and what could be improved when several users are unsur or make similar mistakes in the same areas in the design.  Usability testing is done in commercial software products and products developed by large organizations. The idea is very similar to interactive evaluation but is done in a more specialized lab where each keystroke and mouse click is captured and evaluated by the project team. The user is left to try the tasks prepared for them to do without any help from the project team to assure that the design is intuitive to the users. 18. Under what conditions is heuristic evaluation justified?  Heuristic evaluation can be justified if the project is relatively small and there is very little room for users to be confused about how to navigate it. An example could be a landing page or a 3 – page information website. 19. What type of interface evaluation did you perform in the “Your Turn 9-1”?  The interface evaluation I used in the exercise is Heuristic evaluation since I had a checklist of design aspects that I had to look out for. 20. Describe three basic principles of navigation design.  The three basic principles of navigation design are: o Prevent Mistakes – the main goal of a navigation is to make sure that it creates a clear and intuitive path for the user. We can reduce the mistakes of users by adding appropriate labels to commands and actions throughout the system. Limiting choices to ones that are usually used is essential to make sure that the user does not feel overwhelmed. If there are multiple commands or actions that are like each other, create a submenu which creates a separate category for these actions to make it easier for the user. o Simplify Recovery from Mistakes – no matter how good the system is, users are bound to make mistakes. It is essential for the system to have an undo function so users can revert to whatever they are working on before their action. o Use Consistent Grammar Order – make sure that commands adhere to a consistent grammar order to stave off user mistakes. Make sure to choose between object- action-order or action-object-order.

CISP 457  Clothing  Men’s  Women’s  Kid’s  Activewear  Beauty  Shoes  Explore  Cart  Account  Profile  Orders  Payment o ISD:  The customer searches for the store website and is presented with the homepage.  The customer clicks on the shop tab and shows a dropdown menu with clothing categories.  The customer selects a category and is then sent to another page which displays the category’s sub-categories.  The customer selects a sub-category and is taken to the product’s page.  The customer clicks on a product that caught their attention and is taken to the product detail’s page.  The customer decides to add the item to their cart and is taken to the cart page.  The customer reviews the item/s in their cart and clicks the checkout button.  The customer enters their shipping and payment information and clicks on the order now button.  The customer is presented with a confirmation page and an email is sent to their registered email address. C. Describe the primary components of the interface standards for a website that sells some retail products (metaphors, objects, actions, icons, and templates). o Metaphors: Using metaphors to represent virtual sections with their real world counterparts.  A shopping cart symbolizes adding items to a virtual cart.  A magnifying glass symbolizes the search bar for finding items on the website.  A navigation menu that symbolized the isles of a physical store. o Objects: Represents products as objects with clear images, titles, prices, and descriptions.  Product Listings are individual items that are available for purchase. They are displayed with images, descriptions, prices and ratings.

CISP 457  Filter and Sort option: Objects that help user refine their search. o Actions: Provide intuitive actions to users to implement user-friendly navigation in the site.  Add to Cart: An action for adding items to the virtual cart.  Proceed to Checkout: The action to start the purchase process.  Write a Review: An action for customers to provide feedback on products. o Icons: Utilize recognizable icons to enhance user experience.  Shopping bag icon: Icon representation of a shopping cart.  Heart Icon: Icon used by users to mark products as their favorites or add to a wishlist.  Magnifying Glass Icon: Symbolizing the search function. o Templates: Maintain a consistent layout and design throughout the website.  Product detail page: A template for displaying comprehensive product information, including images, descriptions, reviews and related products.  Checkout page: A template for entering shipping and payment information.  User Profile Page: A template for managing user accounts, orders, and preferences. D. Develop two use scenarios for the DFD in Exercise C in Chapter 5. o Scenario 1:  Mary is a student at XYZ University.  She logs into the university registration system to add a new course to her schedule.  She navigates to the "Add Course" page and selects the course she wants to add from the list of available courses.  The system checks if Mary has any unpaid fees and if she is not enrolled in too many courses.  If Mary meets these requirements, the system adds the course to her schedule and sends her a confirmation email. o Scenario 2:  John is a staff member at the Math Department of XYZ University.  He needs to generate a report on all the students enrolled in a specific course.  He logs into the university registration system and navigates to the "Course Reports" page.  He selects the course he wants to generate the report for and clicks on the "Generate Report" button.  The system retrieves the relevant data from the database and generates a report that includes the names and contact information of all the students enrolled in the course.  John saves the report as a PDF and prints it for his records.