417 LAB ACTIVITY 11: Setting Up A User Interface Prototype

WHY:

This activity is designed to help you learn how to set up a user interface menu system. To do this we will use the Screen Painter function in Systems Architect. You will be working through milestone 10 in the lab. This milestone will mark the completion of your project prototype.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  1. Discover how to complete a State Transition diagram for your project.
  2. Discover how to create menu screens using Systems Architect.
  3. Begin planning your final presentation.

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA:

  1. Quality of the answers to the Critical Thinking Questions.
  2. Ability to use the skills learned in this lab to successfully complete your project.

RESOURCES:

  1. Chapter 14 in Systems Analysis and Design Methods
  2. Activity 20.
  3. 60 minutes

PLAN:

  1. Choose roles if you have not already done so.

  2. Prepare a state transition diagram that depicts the sequence and variations of screens to be viewed by your system's users. Take into consideration the need for help, the progression through menus and the possibility for errors.

  3. Use the System Achitect Screen Painter Facility to enter menu screen(s). These menus should eventually take the user to each on-line input and output screen you designed in milestone 9. Test your user interface to make sure that it will allow you to do everything you want to do during your final presentation.

MODEL:

See model from Activity 20.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS:

  1. What problems did you encounter when working on this lab? What did you do to correct them?

  2. What concerns did you consider when deciding the order in which you will visit your screens during your final presentation? Trace the order on a copy of your State Transition diagram.

  3. What did you provide in your menu screens to allow the user to jump back to the previous menu.

  4. What did your team have most difficulty with in this lab? Give a clear explanation of how you overcame this difficulty.

    CPSC 417 Lab Activity 11 -- Revised 11/25/98

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