1. Charlie is a project manager for a new system under development for a national mortgage processing company. A common experience for IS managers today is to lose experienced IS staff members, who leave companies in search of more money and more interesting projects. This is exactly the situation Charlie finds himself in today. Two experienced members of his team have departed the organization within the last month. Now, Charlie must prepare for the arrival of his new team members, who are scheduled to join the team next week. Unfortunately for Charlie, the team members he lost had nine years of systems development experience between them, while his new staff members only have three years of experience between them. Charlie is very concerned about the lack of experience of the new team members.

To bring the new team members up to speed as quickly as possible, Charlie plans to have them spend several days reviewing the Project Binder, which summarizes all pertinent project information. He also needs to get the team moving ahead on the project as quickly as he can. The next task in the project workplan is the development of the user interface design. This is a good area to involve the new team members. In anticipation of their arrival, Charlie plans to develop a document that outlines the process that is followed in developing a user interface. This will help the new team members understand the steps that will be followed for the work they will be performing.

Prepare this document outlining the five-step process that is used in user interface design. Remember that this document will be used by the new team members to help them understand what is expected in each step of the user interface design process

2. John is a systems analyst on the Holiday Travel Vehicle project team (see Minicase 4, this chapter). The team is currently developing the system’s user interface design. John has been given the task of developing a plan for prototyping the user interface, and he is struggling to determine the best method of prototyping to use. All of John’s prior experience with user interface prototyping has used the storyboard technique. John’s project manager specifically requested that he consider all types of prototyping (storyboarding, HTML prototypes, and language prototypes) before developing his prototyping plan. The system under development will be a significant departure from the interface that the users are accustomed to, and the manager wants to be sure that the interface design is clear and acceptable to the users before it is implemented.

Prepare a summary of the three major types of prototyping that can be used in a project. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each method. Discuss the criteria that John should use to select a prototyping approach to use in the project.

3. Prepare a written summary of the input design principles that you implemented in your prototyped input design in the textbook Minicase #4. Also, discuss the validation that you will implement in your input processing.

4. Prepare the design and prototype of the printed Sales Invoice that will be printed upon completion of the sales transaction at Holiday Travel Vehicles. This will be the document that the customer takes with him/her summarizing the sale. Also, design and prototype an output report from the system that provides the owner of Holiday Travel Vehicles information about the prior week’s sales activity. This report should be available in two forms: one that groups the sales by vehicle manufacturer, and the other that groups the sales by salesperson. The owner wants to use the reports to quickly assess the sales performance of the various vehicles offered for sale and the performance of the various salespeople on staff.

5.MER’s Fine Timepieces is a thriving business that specializes in sales and service of fine watches and clocks. Although the market for timepieces has changed as many people purchase inexpensive, ‘throw-away’ clocks and watches, there are still a large number of people who prefer quality timepieces, and they remain popular as gifts. A unique aspect of the business is the repair service that is available. MER’s Fine Timepieces employs skilled watchmakers and clockmakers who can repair all varieties of watches and clocks, including heirloom pieces.

To facilitate the maintenance of watch and clock repair records for the business, a new tracking system is under development. This system will enable the clerks at MER’s Fine Timepieces to record complete information on the repair item when it is brought into the store. When a watch- or clock-maker begins work on the item, he/she can update the repair record as work is performed. When the repair is complete, all work performed and labor hours are recorded on the repair record. When the customer returns for the item, the repair record is closed. The following specification has been prepared for the system’s user interface.

Main Menu: From this screen, the user can: enter a new service record, update a service record, close a service record, and check the status of an item being repaired.

Enter a New Service Record: When an item is brought in for repair, the clerk will record as much information about the item as possible. The system will assign a service ticket ID to the item. Complete customer information is recorded, including name, address, and home and business phone numbers. The date the item was received is entered, along with a date promised (if any).

The type of item should be specified. If the item is a clock, it can be categorized as one of the following clock types: wall-chime, wall-no chime, grandfather/grandmother, mantel-chime, mantel-no chime, 400-day, cuckoo, or other. The most common clock manufacturers are Ansonia and Sliegh, but there can be many other clock manufacturers. The actual manufacturer’s name should be recorded if known. If the item is a watch, it can be categorized as one of the following watch types: pocket, mans standard wrist, womans standard wrist, mans quartz wrist, womans quartz wrist, and chronograph/chronometer. The most common watch manufacturers are Bulova, Citizen, Hamilton, Wittnauer, and Rolex, but there can be other watch manufacturers. If the item is an antique or heirloom, it should be designated as such on the repair record.

In some cases, an estimate of the repair cost is made and entered into the system. The problem being experienced is generally that the clock or watch runs fast, runs slow, or won’t run at all. If the item runs fast or slow, the clerk will ask for an estimate of the number of minutes a day it runs fast or slow. If the item is a clock, another problem can be that it won’t chime. Details on the problem should be entered into the system by the clerk.

When the new service record is complete, an internal status of ‘in queue’ is assigned to the item. This designates that the item has been received but is not yet being worked on by a clock- or watch-maker.

Update a Service Record: When a clock- or watch-maker is ready to work on an item, he/she brings up the item’s service record to review the problem description using the service ticket ID. The item’s status is changed to ‘under repair.’

When the repair procedures have been performed, the clock or watch is moved to a special holding area and the item’s status is changed to ‘timing.’ The item will monitored for proper performance for at least three days. At this time, the watch- or clock-maker will record the services performed on the item (there may be more than one). The categories of services performed are: clean, overhaul, adjust timing, and other. An area for comments should be available to record other information about the repair. The number of labor hours should be recorded, along with the watch- or clock-maker’s initials and the completion date.

When the clock or watch has passed the timing tests, its status is changed to ‘complete.’

Close a Service Record: When the customer comes in to pick up an item (or the item is delivered in the case of grandfather/grandmother clocks), a clerk will close the service record. This involves collecting payment for the item, marking the service record as paid, and recording the date the item was returned to the customer.

Check Status: At any time, a customer may call to inquire about the status of a watch or clock being repaired. The clerk should be able to enter either the service ticket ID (if available) or the customer name to retrieve status information on the item. The clerk should be able to inform the customer if the item is in queue, under repair, timing, or complete.

Develop prototypes of the screens that will be needed for this scenario. You will need screens for the main menu plus screens for each of the menu options. Make use of GUI screen features as much as possible.