1. Chapter 11 Designing Forms and Reports

2. Objectives: Explain the process of form and report design.
Apply general guidelines for formatting forms and reports.
Use color and know when color improves the usability of information.
Format text, tables, and lists effectively.
Explain how to assess usability and describe factors affecting usability.

4. Forms vs. Reports Form Report
A business document that contains some predefined data and may include some areas where additional data are to be filled in.
An instance of a form is typically based on one database record.
Report
A business document that contains only predefined data.
A passive document for reading or viewing data.
Typically contains data from many database records or transactions.

5. Forms vs. Reports
System inputs and outputs were identified during Requirements Structuring
Every input form will be associated with a data flow entering a process on a DFD
Every output form or report will be a data flow produced by a process on a DFD
Data on forms and reports must consist of data elements in data stores and on the E-R data model or must be calculated from these
Will uncover flaws in DFDs and E-R diagrams

6. Common Types of Reports
Scheduled: produced at predefined time intervals for routine information needs
Key-indicator: provide summary of critical information on regular basis
Exception: highlights data outside of normal operating ranges
Drill-down: provide details behind summary of key-indicator or exception reports
Ad-hoc: respond to unplanned requests for non-routine information needs

7. The Process of Designing Forms and Reports
User-focused activity
Follows a prototyping approach
Requirements determination:
Who will use the form or report?
What is the purpose of the form or report?
When is the report needed or used?
Where does the form or report need to be delivered and used?
How many people need to use or view the form or report?

8. The Process of Designing Forms and Reports
Prototyping
Initial prototype is designed from requirements
If possible, use standard development tools used with your company
Mock screens – word processor, etc. can be used
Users review prototype design and either accept the design or request changes
If changes are requested, the construction-evaluation-refinement cycle is repeated until the design is accepted

9. Visual Basic and other development tools provide computer aided GUI form and report generation.

10. Form/Report Design Specification
The major deliverable of interface design
Involves three parts (reference figure 11-4):
Narrative overview: characterizes users, tasks, system, and environmental factors
Used primarily to highlight some exception that must be considered during implementation
Sample design: image of the form (from coding sheet or form building development tool)
Assessment: measuring test/usability results (consistency, sufficiency, accuracy, etc.)
If required

11. Guidelines for Form and Report Design
Meaningful titles: clear, specific, version information, current date
Meaningful information: include only necessary information, with no need to modify
Balanced layout: adequate spacing, margins, and clear labels
Easy navigation system: show how to move forward and backward, and where you are currently

12. A poor form design

13. A better form design

14. Uses of Highlighting in Forms and Reports
Use sparingly!
Notify users of errors in data entry or processing.
Provide warnings regarding possible problems – unavailable device.
Draw attention to keywords, commands, high-priority messages, data values that have changed or are outside normal operating range.
Boxes clarify different categories of data, capital letters and different fonts distinguish labels from actual data

15. Methods for Highlighting
Blinking
Audible tones
Intensity differences
Size differences
Font differences
Blinking, audible-critical, turn off as soon as correction made
Reverse video
Boxing
Underlining
All capital letters
Offset positions of nonstandard information
Use consistently!
Think of output device

16. Highlighting can include use of upper case, font size differences, bold, italics, underline, boxing, and other approaches.

17. Color vs. No Color Benefits from Using Color
Soothes or strikes the eye
Accents an uninteresting display
Facilitates subtle discriminations in complex displays
Emphasizes the logical organization of information
Draws attention to warnings
Evokes more emotional reactions

18. Color vs. No Color Problems from Using Color
Color pairings may wash out or cause problems for some users
Resolution may degrade with different displays
Color fidelity may degrade on different displays
Printing or conversion to other media may not easily translate
Color has little effect if presentation format is inappropriate

19. Guidelines for Displaying Text
Case: mixed upper and lower case, use conventional punctuation
Spacing: double spacing if possible, otherwise blank lines between paragraphs
Justification: left justify text, ragged right margins
Hyphenation: no hyphenated words between lines
Abbreviations: only when widely understood and significantly shorter than full text

20. A poor help screen design

21. A better help screen design

22. Guidelines for Tables and Lists
Labels
All columns and rows should have meaningful labels.
Labels should be separated from other information by using highlighting.
Redisplay labels when the data extend beyond a single screen or page.

23. Guidelines for Tables and Lists
Formatting columns, rows and text:
Sort in a meaningful order.
Place a blank line between every five rows in long columns.
Similar information displayed in multiple columns should be sorted vertically.
Columns should have at least two spaces between them.
Allow white space on printed reports for user to write notes.
Use a single typeface, except for emphasis.
Use same family of typefaces within and across displays and reports.
Avoid overly fancy fonts.

24. Guidelines for Tables and Lists
Formatting numeric, textual and alphanumeric data:
Right justify numeric data and align columns by decimal points or other delimiter.
Left justify textual data. Use short line length, usually 30 to 40 characters per line.
Break long sequences of alphanumeric data into small groups of three to four characters each.

25. A poor table design

26. A better table design: row and column spacing,
soritng

27. Tables vs. Graphs Use tables for reading individual data values
Use graphs for:
Providing quick summary
Displaying trends over time
Comparing points and patterns of variables
Forecasting activity
Simple reporting of vast quantities of information

29. Bar and line graphs give pictorial summary information that can enhance reports and forms.

30. Assessing Usability
Overall evaluation of how a system performs in supporting a particular user for a particular task
There are three characteristics
Speed
Accuracy
Satisfaction

31. Guidelines for Maximizing Usability
Consistency: of terminology, formatting, titles, navigation, response time
Efficiency: minimize required user actions; align for efficient navigation and entry; avoid data entry where possible
Ease: self-explanatory outputs and labels
Format: appropriate display of data and symbols
Flexibility: maximize user options for data input according to preference

32. Characteristics for Consideration When Designing Forms/Reports
User: experience, skills, motivation, education, personality
Task: account for time pressure, cost of errors, work durations (fatigue) that the task demands from the user
System: platform will influence interaction style and devices
Environment: social (user’s role) and physical issues (may need to change physical work space)

33. Methods for Assessing Usability
Time to learn – placement of most commonly used functions
Speed of performance
Rate of errors
Retention over time
Subjective satisfaction
Collect by observation, interviews, keystroke capturing, etc.

34. Errors in Web Page Layout Design
Non-standard widgets – radio buttons example (selection, not selection and action!)
Appearance of advertising and legitimate information
Bleeding edge technology – make sure users don’t need the latest browsers or plug-ins to use your site
Scrolling text and looping animations – hard to read and like advertising
Outdated information – you’ll lose credibility
Slow download times
Fixed formatted text – avoid horizontal scrolling
Long pages

35. Good Web Design Practices
Lightweight Graphics: small images to quick image download
Forms and Data Integrity:
Forms should be clearly labeled
Enough room for input
Example of input format
Fields: designate optional, required, range of values

36. Good Web Design Practices
Template-based HTML
Templates to display and process common attributes of higher-level, more abstract items
Have a few templates that can be used to display the entire product line
“display all finishes” can be built using a template and then applied to all furniture requiring a finish
Creates an interface that is very easy to maintain