Designing Effective Output

1
Designing Effective Output

• Keng Siau
• Department of Management
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln

2
Output Design Objectives

• Design output to serve the intended purpose
• Design output to fit the user
• Deliver the appropriate quantity of output
• Assure that the output is where it is needed
• Provide the output on time
• Choose the right output method

3
Output Methods

• Printer
• Specialty printers (e.g., color printers)
• Screens as output
• Audio output
• Microform -- microfilm microfiche
• CD-ROM and DVDs
• Pull and Push Technology
• Electronic output
• Email, faxes, bulletin boards

4
Factors to Consider When Choosing Output
Technology

• Who will use (see) 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 the output is
  needed?
• How frequently will the output be accessed?

5
Factors to Consider When Choosing Output
Technology

• How long will (or must) the output be stored?
• Under what special regulations is the output
  produced, stored, and distributed?
• What are the initial and ongoing costs of
  maintenance and supplies?
• What are the environmental requirements for
  output technologies?

6
Possible Biases in Presentations of Output

• the way output is used
• how information is sorted
• setting of limits
• choice of graphics

7
Human Biases

• bias is present in everything that humans create
• not to judge bias as bad
• avoid unnecessarily biasing output
• make users aware of the possible biases in the
  output

8
Avoiding Bias in theDesign of Output

• Awareness of the sources of bias
• Interactive design of output that includes users
• Working with users so that they are informed of
  the outputs biases
• Creating output that is flexible and that allows
  users to modify limits and ranges
• Training users to rely on multiple output for
  conducting reality tests on system output

9
Guidelines for Screen Output

• Keep the display simple
• Keep the presentation consistent
• Facilitate user movement among displayed output
• Create an attractive display

10
Designing Good Web Sites

• Pay attention to
• Structure
• Content
• Text
• Graphics
• Presentation
• Navigation
• Promotion