Creating interfaces

1
Creating interfaces

• Multi-language example
• Definition of computer information system
• VoiceXML example
• Project proposal presentations
• Homework Post proposal, post feedback work on
  project

2
Actual example at ATM machine

• Enter PIN

Espanol
Other languages (not ENGLISH)
Francais


3
Question/Problem

• Was this clear?
• (presumably) if you needed a language other than
  English, click
• if English was okay, enter your PIN
• (Not sure if there was a chance to choose another
  language later)
• Design a better approach

4
Definition

• A computer information system is a combination of
• hardware
• software
• people
• procedures
• constructed/organized to accomplish specified
  functions.

5
Comments

• Old definition
• Critical significance for me, now is the
  inclusion of people and procedures
• Procedures may be
• or may not be well-defined
• subject of training or
• assumed, learned over time

6
Examples

• Check-out with clerk
• clerk does some things, customer does others
• ATM
• Email
• Others?

7
Acceptable function

• Want a system to be 100 effective but
• It is the total system that needs to work, part
  of it may work less than all or even much of the
  time
• Voice phone systems typically have menu,
  prompts, error handling, including a fall back
  eventually going to 'live person'
• should be able to pass on information (such as id
  number) and make use of databases, etc.
• LLBean phone example

8
Voice XML Challenge random sequence

• Produce set of forms, each listening for its own
  response
• Produce random sequence
• Unique values (dont reuse values)
• Use expression as target of a goto
• Need to use in place of next
• Working from random sequence, move to successive
  forms
• If successful, move to next. Otherwise, move to
  form to indicate failure.

9

• this is form a
• this is form b
• this is form c

Note expr, not next
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Change in tactics

• Start off with array of addresses (id)
• Each time, select element randomly.
• Remove it from the array
• Use slice and concat
• Splice did not work!!!
• Return it as the next address
• Need to check if done enough
• Need to check if there are still questions
• Used vxmllog to find problems
• Forms just say what they are

11

• var qarray"a", "b","c","d","e"
• var asked 0
• var quota 3
• function getnext()
• var ch
• var chv
• var nq qarray.length
• asked

The qarray could hold any number and could be in
other files.
Will do this 3 times
12

• if (askedquota)
• return "done"
• if (nq0)
• return "nomoreques"
• ch Math.floor(Math.random()nq)
• chv qarraych // now delete this element
• if (ch0) qarray qarray.slice(1)
• else if (ch(nq-1)) qarray
  qarray.slice(0,ch)
• else
• qarray qarray.slice(0, ch).concat(qarray.slice(ch
  1))
• return chv

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• Starting
• in form a
• in form b

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• in form c
• in form d
• in form e

15

• No more questions
• Done

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Now up to you

• Code the start, initial prompting
• Replace with
• Whatever the a question is
• the a answer
• next"wrong" /
• Put in

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Warnings

• Use lower case letters as the content of choice
  tags (and probably in full grammars as well)
• Remember the sign in front of id's.
• Use expr in goto and choice if you are using an
  expression
• This includes a function call
• expr "'' vname"
• The plus sign is for concatenating strings. The
  concat method is for concatenating arrays.

18
Reprise all interface/applications

• Focus
• Function / purpose
• Audience
• Dialogue(s)
• Content (structure of underlying data)
• How to measure / evaluate success

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Usability

• Effectiveness
• did it work? Did user achieve purpose?
• Efficient
• how was job done in terms of resources yours
  (the 'system') and the user
• Satisfactory to user
• often can be measured in 'repeat business'
• Identify your user!

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Fit of media to application

• Does application fit the medium?
• Consider B2B, B2C, C2C????
• computer based web site
• office, home, factory (see below), retail
• phone with tiny screen
• probably limitation in graphics, though Nokia
  Simulator does display color images
• on-the-go, factory
• speaking/listening phone (POTS)
• on-the-go, hands-free, factory (again)

21
Homework

• Work on project!
• Make constructive comments as postings to other
  projects