2.3 people and ict systems

INFO 2Unit 2.3 – People and ICT Systems

Specification

1. Characteristics of users

2. How users interact with ICT Systems

Appropriate interface design Help and Support

3. Types of user interfaces

4. Working in ICT

Break it down

What characteristics of users should be considered when designing an ICT System or Interface?

Characteristics of usersQuestions to consolidate

Users of computer systems will vary

The way the user interacts with the system will be affected by the following factors:◦ Experience◦ Physical Characteristics◦ Environment of use◦ Task to be undertaken◦ Age

Characteristics of users

Characteristics of users

Experience

Experienced

Inexperienced

Help features

Clarity

familiarWant to work fast

Short cuts

Easily frustrated

Physical

Poor eyesight

Voice recognition

Zoom in features

Output audio

Output Braille

Large icons

Fine motor skills

Pointing deviceVoice recognition

Touch screen

Environment of use

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10701953

travelling

Loud/Quiet

Industrial

Chemical Plant• Gloves – big keys• Dirt – no keyboards Loud – Visual output

Quiet - headphones

GPS – touch screen, audio output, simple visual output

Task to be under taken

restaurant

Concept keyboard

Data entry

Keyboard/Scanner

Gaming

Joystick / headset

Age

Children

Adults

Structured, text,

Simple, BIG, pictures, icons

Elderly

Slow, guidance


Past Paper Questions

Mark below

Appropriate interface design

Most ICT Systems involve human interaction at some point

How users interact with ICT Systems


HCI – Human Computer Interface The point of interaction between people and

computer systems

Creating an appropriate HCI requires:◦ Choice of appropriate hardware devices (input and

output)◦ Designing the ‘look and feel’ of the software

(layout and design)



An HCI Should:◦ Be easy to use◦ Appropriate for the users◦ Safe◦ Robust◦ User Friendly (Help features and shortcuts)◦ Be consistent (Look and Feel)


Explain two factors that you think should be considered when designing a web interface for use by customers that would support good customer management

(4 Marks)Consider: Users of a website might not have visited before,

therefore customers might have varied skill levels.

Many online customers worry about the use of e-commerce. The HCI needs to address these worries.

Exam Question

Explain two factors that you think should be considered when designing a web interface for use by customers that would support good customer management

(4 Marks)

Customers will have different levels of ICT skills. (1) A simple menu system would give specific options to enable those with little skill to use the system. Appropriate online help should be provided. (1)

Many customers are afraid of safety when using online systems for ordering and paying for goods. (1) The HCI needs to offer assurance that the site is secure. (1)

Exam Question - Answer

What support options are available in most generic applications?

Many software applications offer the following support features:

◦ On screen help – avoid jargon, provide FAQ and search

◦ Wizards – prompts for novice users◦ Tips◦ Built in demonstrations◦ Online help facilities

Help/Support Options

What support options are offered by system providers?

Many providers offer the following support options:

◦ Telephone Help Desk◦ Email support◦ User Guides◦ Online support (patches, updates)


What other support options are available for industry standard packages?

Mass used applications tend to have the following available:

◦ Bulletin boards◦ User Groups◦ Books



Mark below

Several standard categories of user interface:

Command line interface Menu driven interface Graphical user interface (GUI) On-Screen Forms

Natural Language interface

Types of HCI

User types in commands for the computer.

Examples: MS-DOS, Unix, Linux, Command Prompt (see next slide)

Command Line Interface (CLI)

Back in the heyday of text-based operating systems like Unix and DOS, the command prompt was the operating system, and not knowing how to use it meant that you could not really use your system without someone experienced in computing holding your hand. This was the era of computing clubs, when getting to grips with your computer required some serious devotion and learning.

When the most successful graphical operating systems, the various Apple Mac and Windows incarnations came along, they triggered a massive increase in the popularity of computers by simplifying the whole process of using them. No longer did users have to memorize reams of commands in order to simply configure and navigate around their computers.

On the other hand, icon based graphic interfaces tend to reduce the flexibility of the underlying operating systems considerably, especially since they are designed to be accessible to the novice user. The various Windows operating systems are instantly familiar to just about any citizen of a developed country between the ages of 10 and 35, not to mention anyone who has worked in an office within the last 10 years, but how many people know how to properly configure and customize Windows XP? Judging by the proliferation of computer service ads in every city, not many.

The command prompt, a purely text-driven interface, is still present at the core of Windows XP, and it contains many options that are not otherwise accessible without third-party software, but which most 'experts' could not live without. The mighty PING command being one simple example.

Command Prompt

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http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1723

Command What it does Example

PING Verifies IP connectivity to another TCP/IP

Ping www.google.co.uk

DIR Displays a list of a directory's files and subdirectories.

dir

CD This changes directory relevant to the one you are currently working in

cd downloads

CD.. Go back one level in the directory

cd..

MKDIR Creates a directory in the current directory

mkdir workmkdir “new folder”

Exit Closes Command Prompt Window

exit

Command Line Interface example

START - CMD

ADVANTAGESDon’t use graphics so less demanding on system resources (less computer memory required).Contains many options that are not otherwise accessible without third-party software.Complex commands can be entered quickly

DISADVANTAGESRequires devotion and learningCommands need to be memorizedCan be frustratingReference to manuals often needed

IDEAL FORExperienced usersExpert users

NOT IDEAL FORBeginners and intermediate users

Command Line Interface

Useful in situations where the user needs to be restricted to a limited choice

Menu Driven Interface

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G64KP0vPN7Q

To consider

Balance between options on a screen at one time and number of levels of sub-menus required

Should have a consistent layout Should use the same prompt for the same

operation (e.g. back button) Prompt should be in the same position on

the screen


ADVANTAGESRestrict the options a user can selectUsed effectively with touch screen systems

DISADVANTAGESCan slow down use of the system as set routes have to be followed

IDEAL FORInexperienced usersOccasional usersSituations where the user’s requirements are known in advance (predetermined choices)

NOT IDEAL FORSpeedy operations


Use 4 basic features (WIMP)

◦ Windows◦ Icons◦ Menus◦ Pointers

Often called a WIMPenvironment

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

ADVANTAGESUser FriendlyIntuitiveUse of sound and video made use ofMost operating systems come with this sort of interface

DISADVANTAGESDemanding in terms of system resources e.g. hard disk and memory

IDEAL FORInexperienced users

NOT IDEAL FORExperienced users (may resent working through levels of directories and menus)

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Widely used to enter data into a computer system

Good idea for an on-screen form to mimic the style of a paper form

Include check boxes, menus or lists

On-Screen Forms

ADVANTAGESSimilar to paper formsIntuitiveVariety of data-entry techniquesAutomatically validated (reduces chance of error)

DISADVANTAGESDemanding in terms of system resources e.g. hard disk and memory

IDEAL FORFilling in questionnaires, ordering goods

NOT IDEAL FORExperienced users

On-Screen Forms

Microsoft's View

Craig Mundie is Microsoft's big thinker, charting the path of its future research. His current obsession is what he calls natural user interfaces, new ways of interacting with computers, of which Kinect is one example.

There is, he says, a shift about to happen from the old graphical user interface to a trend where "the computer is more like us - it sees, it listens, it speaks, it understands, it even seeks to do things on our behalf."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-1257004527th Feb 2011

Natural Language Interface


Getting there

◦ Search Engines Ask.com uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to

interpret questions written in natural language NLP tries to understand the context of a question

◦ Help search MS Office tries to interpret questions written in natural

language

◦ Games Consoles Natural movement turns a players body into a games

controller


http://groups.csail.mit.edu/sls/sls

http://groups.csail.mit.edu/sls/sls

Command Driven ‘Natural Language Interfaces’ exist ◦ Speech Synthesis◦ Subset of natural language◦ E.g. My car to control music selection, phone calls

etc.

Pure Natural-Language Interfaces may still be stuff of the future. WHY?


Spoken Language has ambiguities i.e. different meanings, same pronunciation, different spelling

◦ Lead I lead the race for a long time The dog required a lead

◦ Read I read a book yesterday Do you like to read?

◦ Witch/Which Which hat was it? The Witch wore a big black hat

◦ There/Their/They’re There was nowhere to go Their football was taken away They’re going to live in England

Context and tone need to be taken into account

Difficulties with developing a Pure Natural Language Interface

Structure of sentences can also be ambiguous.

“My car needs oiling badly”

Would you really want someone to oil your car badly?

Difficulties with developing a Pure Natural Language Interface

ADVANTAGESNatural to allExpress freely without constraintNo special training requiredFlexible

DISADVANTAGES (of current models)Ambiguous and impreciseLanguage always changingSame words have different meanings

IDEAL FORAll types of users

NOT IDEAL FOR



Mark below

Rearrange the letters below to figure out what we are learning about next

IGIOINTKRNWC

WORKING IN ICT

Starter

List as many personal qualities as you can required for a professional working in ICT

E.g.

1. Good oral communication skills2.

Starter

Working In ICT

Working In ICT An ICT professional is a person who works in the

development, maintenance or support of ICT Systems.

You have 3 minutes in your groups to write down as many jobs you can think of associated with IT/ICT

You now have 15 minutes to visit 1. Jobsite.co.uk2. Monster.co.uk3. Totaljobs.com

and find as many IT/ICT jobs as possible (Think about your search criteria IT, ICT, games etc.)

IT Analyst IT Support Web Developer Chief Information Officer (CIO) / Chief

Technology Officer (CTO) IT Audit Manager Social Games Developer Programmer (Java/C++) Information Strategy Architect IT Trainer IT Engineer

Jobs in IT/ICT

1. Team Worker2. Reliable3. Good Listener4. Good verbal

communication (technical/non technical)

5. Organised6. Good problem solver7. Good written skills8. Integrity (trustworthy,

has values and principles)

Personal Qualities required

12

2, 4

5

67

8

ICT Worker

Good oral & written skills

Good listener

Integrity

Team worker

Able to adapt

Attention to detail

Creative Flair

Good problem solver

Work under pressure

Work flexible hours


1. ______________2. ______________3. ______________4. ______________


1. Work well under pressure

2. Good oral and written communication skills

3. Attention to detail4. Work flexible hours


1 2

34

1. ______________2. ______________3. ______________4. ______________5. ______________6. ______________7. ______________8. ______________9. ______________


1. Integrity2. Good Problem Solver3. Good Listener4. Team Worker5. Attention to detail6. Organised7. Work under pressure8. Good Oral and writing

skills9. Attention to detail


1

2 3

4

5

6, 7

8 8

9

1. ______________2. ______________3. ______________4. ______________5. ______________6. ______________7. ______________8. ______________9. ______________10.______________


1. Good listener2. Organised3. Good Problem Solver4. Team Worker5. Multi-task6. Good oral skills7. Good written skills8. Attention to detail9. Interpersonal10. Work under pressure


1

2

3

45

6

7

89

10

Lots of Jobs in IT require you to work as part of a team

Imagine this scenario

I require a team of 5 students to design and build a website for the school. It must be built to a professional standard. It must be built in less than 3 months.

Who would you choose to be part of your team?

Why have you chosen them?

Characteristics of an effective ICT team

Members are usually allocated a specific role according to their strengths

However, it is important that each member works as part of the team◦ If a member is absent or leaves the group other team

members must be aware of their responsibilities and be flexible and adaptive

Most teams have a team leader

All members need good communication skills

Characteristics of an effective ICT team

ICT Team

Good leadership

Appropriate balance of skills

Suitable allocation of

tasks

Adequate planning and scheduling of

tasks

Adherence to agreed

standards

Good communication skills

Characteristics of an effective ICT Team


Mark below

2.3 people and ict systems

Documents

online systems

web interface

following support options

following support features

appropriate hci

underlying operating

pointhow users

feelhow users