Computing - 9.1d Designing

Computing

9.1d Designing

clarifying with users the benefits of the new information system

designing the information system for ease of maintenance

clarifying each of the relevant information processes within the system

detailing the role of the participants, the data and the information technology used in the system

refining existing prototypes

participant development, when people within the information system develop the solution

participant designed solutions

tools for participant development such as guided processes in application packages

tools used in designing, including:

clarifying with users the benefits of the new information system

Clarifying the benefits of a new information system to users can be done through image or text prompts telling/showing the user the improvements of the new information system when compared to the old one. Clarifying users to use the new information system can allow a smoother transition for users to use the new system and not the old one, while also increasing productivity and efficiency because of the new system's ability.

designing the information system for ease of maintenance

Most often than not, you see many systems being updated so that bugs are fixed to keep the maintenance of the system running smoothly. For example, games like Red Dead Redemption 2 will get updates so that any bugs that are ruining the experience of the game is fixed so that the gamers will be satisfied and keep returning. As for information systems, this idea applies as well. So when designing an information system you have to keep in mind that you are designing a system that is flexible enough to be updated in the future so that it isn't harder for future you. Not designing a flexible enough system can lead to a lot of bugs because your team is trying to fix the system without having to destroy it, leading the maintenance of the system to be lacking behind other companies and soon losing profits.

clarifying each of the relevant information processes within the system

detailing the role of the participants, the data and the information technology used in the system

refining existing prototypes

Refining existing prototypes allow the user to have a clear understanding of what steps to take until they have reached the final product while also being able to fix any existing bugs within the prototype before they continue on with the next step to the final product.

participant development, when people within the information system develop the solution

participant designed solutions

tools for participant development such as guided processes in application packages

tools used in designing, including:

context diagrams

A system context diagram in engineering is a diagram that shows the entities that interact with a system, or a section of a system, and defines the boundary between the system and its environment.

This is how one could look like:

The circle in the middle is the main system
Boxes on the outside are the entities the main system interacts with
The lines connecting show the actions being completed between the entities and the main system

Data flow diagrams

A Data Flow Diagram is an abstraction on a Context Diagram. The Data Flow Diagram provides more details on the processes that take place within the information system, the storage of data and the movement of data between the processes. It is useful in understanding and designing systems.

How to construct a Data Flow Diagram ?

Gathering information
Identify the external entities( Boxes) of the information system (the external people, businesses and organization that interact with the information system)
Identify the data stores ( open boxes) such as databases and files where data is stored in the information system
Identify the processes ( Circles)
Identify the data passing between the external entities and the process
Identify the data passing between the processes and the data stores
Identify the data passing between the connecting processes

decision trees

A decision tree is a diagrammatic way of representing all possible combinations of decisions and their resulting actions. It represents the decisions made within a system as the branches of a tree. Each branch ends with a particular action. They are a graphical approach and are used when the module is depicting a complex selection structure.

Data dictionaries

Data dictionaries are a comprehensive description of each field in a database, most often in the form of a table. In their most basic forms, data dictionaries contain the field name, data type, size and a small description of its purpose. Data dictionaries can expand into many more headings to define all fields however these are usually the essentials in every data dictionary. Here is an example:

storyboards

Storyboards are used to visually showcase what the project will look like through pencil drawings, and is done so that if you were to give the storyboards to another person they would be able to understand what to do. This allows communication between co-workers to be clearer in what project they are making and how they are going to make it. For example, your team is tasked to develop a database with an interface that is able to be used effectively by people without any experience with. While your team is developing a working database, you storyboard an interface that is to the requirements of the client so that when you give it to your team they are able to work with that so it connects with the database they are developing. This is better than developing an interface that doesn't connect/doesn't work with the database because you didn't give a clear plan of the interface to your team.

Page updated

Report abuse