Module 4

This module was dealing with tasks and analysis that make up a process and various ways to categorize these tasks. When designing or evaluating an interface its a good idea to to create a list of the tasks that are needed to work with the interface and organize them accordingly and identify any sub tasks or sub tasks of sub tasks in order to show the hierarchy and give a better visualization and understanding of how these tasks work within the interface. This type of mapping will give you a better understanding of how the interface works and how to interact with it and allows you to look at each task more specifically (easier to go into details when tasks are written down as apposed to trying and do them off memory).

Overall i would say this was a great module to help understand the importance of proper design and how users interact with the design. It makes designing a lot easier when things are written down in order to go through things one by one instead of just going off memory and with a proper task analysis it can lead to better designs in the future for upgrades to that interface.

Norman 3

Through these chapters it seemed to deal alot with problems that can occur with design and different ways to improve designs. After taking a few programming classes i can completely relate with the problems that can occur when designing anything, let alone trying to find ways to improve it in order to make it as easy as possible for anyone to use. I'm sure this happens more often and on larger scales in the working world and is much more important to get things designed properly and in the easiest working for for everyone to use. With life cycles of systems the design and redesign can really make things challenging for designers since when a system is reaching the end of its life cycle and possibly need to create a newer system to replace the old one there are various problems than can arise. With all this going on they still have to keep in mind that designing the new system has to be user friendly and create an interface that anyone can work with easily, with all this in mind it can be extremely difficult to create the absolute best product in a timely manner. Balancing design and usability can always be a challenge and creating a system that solves all the issues at hand and is still function able for the user doesn't always guarantee long life. With a changing working environment and the need to evolve to keep up with business there will always be a need to update user programs to try and increase the flow of work and solve more problems at hand.

RFP for ITEC 320

Joshua Coats
ITEC 320
Write an RFP/Blog
Assignment 10-1









I. Introduction
R-Tard Computer Repair Services is a small new business created to help clients with their computer problems. We offer in house repairs for anyone wanting to drop off their systems and we will have them repaired in a timely manner, or we do house calls as well for a slightly higher fee. In order to better interact with our clients we are seeking a third party company to create and host a fully interactive website so we can service our clients more effectively.

II. Scope of the Work
The scope of the work for this proposal includes all of the design, creation, implementation, hosting, servicing, troubleshooting, and maintenance for the website. We need someone who has a stable, reliable service and can guarantee website uptimes over 99%. We will send you updated information to apply to the website as needed and need to have them posted and updated within a 24 hour time frame. The website should utilize Flash navigation and other advanced web techniques to glorify the site (scripts can be used at your discretion as long as they work and don’t slow down the site). All pictures and images must be approved or supplied by us before uploading to the site preferably in jpeg format.

III. Special Conditions
As a requirement to this proposal the contractor must apply the following:
· Flash Navigation
· Contact link to our email address regardless of the situation, we will contact you for all technical related materials if needed
· JPEG images with our approval
· Security and hacker monitoring/tracking service
· Web hosting with unique personalized URL

IV. Payment
We agree to pay the servicer in full (as long as everything is met properly) within 30 days of completion. It is the obligation of the contractor, not us, to make all necessary credit or finance arrangements that the contractor may require prior to billing.

V. Additional Services (Optional)
We are open to suggestions if they are a better route to operating and maintaining the website and still keep it as easy as possible for our clients to use in order to achieve the best possible service as we can provide. If there are any changes, alternatives, etc. that could make the website easier to use, generate more business/traffic, anything at all that can be beneficial to everyone involved, please feel free to add this in your proposals as well as how much these services will cost (or save) and how they will impact the overall performance. If we select your proposal as the winning bid we will then inform you on the services we approved/disapproved for you to integrate accordingly.

VI. Costs & Conditions
Please list the total amount for the above services as well as any stipulations and conditions that may be attached with them. Any monthly or reoccurring services need to be listed as well, but please list them separately from the initial fees so we can easily determine the cost to build vs. the cost to maintain and host.

VII. Contact Information
Please send all proposals to the following address:

R-Tard Computer Repair Service
123 Main Street
Anywhere, Ohio. 43230

Module 3

My take on this module seemed to be geared towards quality, and by this i mean it seemed to focus quite a bit on questionaires, interviewing, research, etc. Quite a bit of items were based on how to use certain interfaces and how well they were designed to better assist the user in everyday work. This can be a crucial part to any design as the person who creates the easiest to use product will obviously prosper in that particular field. Making the correct decisions on how to properly lay anything out so it benefits the user to the maximum ability in order to help ease their day to day efforts is a crucial part of HCI. The easier it is to work with any type of technology the better the user becomes familiar with the technology and therefore even more knowledgeable and can better themselves in that field.

We all have taken questionnaires or surveys or things of that nature in just about any job, schooling, even volunteer situations. It's one of the simplest forms to get information directly from the people who have the interaction and gives the company/program a great deal of information on how to better themselves for future use, or if they are right on target already. The book was pretty dry on this information but i got the basic idea that they were trying to convey and there really isn't a fun interesting way you can really put this information. There were parts where they completely went a bit too far trying to get their point across, but i guess they were thinking it was easier to clarify their point.

Module 2

This module was a great section on understanding the life cycles and how these designs are impacted by end users. There are quite a few challenges present when trying to design an application for an end user as its often quite difficult to design the perfect application to fit all their needs successfully. More times than not time constraints and budgeting are killer set backs to design implementation and can lead to poor results while other times developers implement more than what is really required and the application becomes to complicated for what the end user really needed. Conducting the proper research for what the end user really needs is critical for implementing the proper design to fit their needs and also consider how they will be interacting with the application to try and make it as easy as possible to utilize and less confusing.

This module helped show me how to better link developers and users together in order to complete the proper application for best use, and how a few simple steps that are often overlooked can really be the difference maker when it comes to a great design and something that can't even be used due its poor implementation. What might seem simple to the developer can often be something the end user is clueless about and thus leads to confusion when interacting with the application, and the best way to avoid this is to research the end users capabilities and skill levels before you actually begin the design.

Norman 1

After reading the first three chapters in Norman's book "The Design of Everyday Things" I actually had to laugh, not because the material itself was funny but the truth behind it. So many items we come in contact with every single day are designed in a manner that has really no practical use without having someone show you its intended use, or do some serious research on the item yourself. I can think of 1 group of designed products we see everyday and still find many of them impossible to understand and that's Street Signs. Last year I was traveling to Vermont for Thanksgiving and some of the street signs up there are truly mind boggling. For instance this one http://www.ricesigns.com/pictures/around.jpg which if you have never seen before you wouldn't have a clue as to what it means (Drive Around). this one is my personal favorite i found searching the web for more confusing signs http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/presentations/seasonal/previewimages/signs4.jpg and another confusing sign here http://www.ichizen.com/goat/goat_traffic/images/2004_08_26_DSCN7611.jpg and there are many more you could look up and laugh at, but you can get the idea from these few examples.
What really made this funny for me is many people who design these things are government workers, which are highly educated, and yet make some of the most rediculous signs.

Module 1

I honestly didn't know what to expect from this class. I have heard from a few people it was pretty boring, others found it quite interesting, so far i must say im glad i have taken this as it has opened my eyes a bit. I never really thought much of the interaction between developers and the people who use the products they design, and through this first module i have seen the importance of user feedback and the difference good interaction really has on the impact of great design. I am a full time student so seeing this hands on in the workplace currently is something i cant experience, but i can relate back when i was working how this would be a great benefit to the company, most of the design aspects we put out we never heard from or about again and looking back at that experience now i really regret not having this class prior to that work experience so i could try to help move our design process further.