1. Chapter One
Unser Interface

2. Designing the User Interface
Importance of Good Interface Design
The interface basically needs to be user-friendly. This can be achieved by being affective, efficient and satisfying.
Designing Input Screens
All interface types allow for the input of data as all computers do is to take input data and then process the data and then output information. There are a number of considerations to take into account:

3. The User Whose the target market; programmers, professionals, or more likely idiots? Age is must also be taken into account; anyone older than 50 needs font sizes that are bigger than the screen whilst anyone under 10 likes 'pwetty colours'. Layout Don't put everything in one small corner. Unless it's the clock. Then put it in the corner. Order Done/Finish buttons should always be at the end, not at the beginning. I don't want to scroll through a huge page to then have to scroll all the way back to the top. Unless there's a 'return to top' button - in which case that button may as well be the done/finish button.

4. Validation The program should reject my age as qwertyuiop because clearly that isn't my age. GUI Objects Make the user's life easy - when there is a limited number of options, use drop-down menus, radio-buttons and tick boxes - they can't cope with actually having to type in something. Online Help and Information Provide the user with information about important processes. 'File is Saved', 'File has been sent to printer' etc. Furthermore, have online help, FAQ etc. Chances are they're going to crash the system at some point, and if they're on windows it will do it for them…

5. Designing Data Capture Forms Mass User Input
Designing Data Capture Forms Mass User Input. Layout Again, make it simple, don't squash everything and make it easy to follow. Instructions Readability Tell them to use block capitals where necessary

7. Designing Report Layouts
How to present data that needs to be outputted? If it is to be printed or displayed then a report is needed. Who is going to see the report? Make it appeal to the user. There are 3 main types of data presentation: graphical, numerical and linguistically. So, charts, tables and prose.Will it be printed and stored without being updated? It may need a date so that any future reference then it is known how out of data the information is. Bored? Me too.

9. Data Dictionaries
Firstly, a data dictionary is a file that keeps a record of all of the data used in the program along with description and details. Identifier
Data Type/Structure
Size of Data
Validation required?

10. Modular Design
Ever wondered how long it would take for one person to make an entire application. A long time so applications are broken down into smaller programs. This is called modularisation.

11. Modularisation
Also known as top-down design, each task is broken down into smaller, sub-tasks; if you repeatedly modularise a problem then this known as stepwise refinement. A diagram can be used to demonstrate how a program is broken up. Advantages: Easier to write and test.
Reduces errors.
Expertise can be allocated thus a team can be made up of varied expertise and then each programmer with the correct expertise designs that part of the program.
Repeated tasks, can just be programmed once and then the module duplicated.

12. Rapid Application Development (RAD)
Advantages: The end user is continuously involved in the development.
Tangible product can be seen
Quicker through the use of CASE tools (Computer Aided Software Engineering).
Disadvantages Not efficient when working with extreme large projects.
Can be an inefficient use of the computer resources