Fundamental Principles of Hci Essay Example for Free

Fundamental Principles of Hci Essay M2 part Considering your work for Task 2 e or f, indicate how some of the fundamental principles of HCI have been applied and how the specific need has been met. In this part of the assignment I will be reflecting on the specialist input (e) design I have designed. I have designed a keyboard which has Braille keys, for the purpose of the people who are blind, as this keyboard will be an advantage for the blind which means that they will not be isolated just because they are blind, but in fact using this keyboard the blind can continue their daily lives like others going to work and schools etc. One of the Fundamental principles of HCI is that the user has ease of use, and I have applied this principle in my design allows people to type on the keyboard with ease. I have also covered the perception principle which covers, colour, pattern and the layout of objects. I have applied this principle in my design as I have layed out the keys spaciously which allows the user to hit the key which they wish to easily. And by making the design in this pattern and layout the user can easily recognise the Braille keys. P5 Briefly describe how each of the input and output HCI that you have created meet the specifications provided. Input using interactive mouse I have designed a news tablet reader which has the special feature of touch screen, which allows the user to scroll through the page. The specification requires an input that has to be through a mouse/keyboard/monitor. I have met this specification by designing a news tablet which usually has a mouse connected to the tablet, but the one I have created served this purpose by just scrolling on the screen of the tablet. Output to a printer I have designed a printer which has a touch pad button on the printer, and this can be used if the user decides to make a certain number of copies. The specification is met as I have designed an output which serves the purpose of processing documents out, and also has the feature of a touchpad which allows the user to manually alter the number of copies they wish to make. There are also hard buttons which can be used in case the touch pad stops working. Input using a different input device from a mouse I have designed a gaming steering wheel which can be used to install into a gaming console such as play station 3, and be used as an input. The specification has been met as I have designed a steering wheel which has an additional feature of a biometric scan of every user. Which means that every time a user which to save their game progress they just need to place the thumb print on the scanner and the game will automatically save the data of the person whose thumb scan it is, and every user will need to insert the details before playing on the steering wheel so that the steering wheel can save to that persons file. Output to something other than a printer or monitor I have designed an interactive white board which has a solar power pad connected to it, which means that it uses solar power in order to run. The specification has been met as I have designed an output which is an interactive whiteboard with an additional feature that has a solar pad connected to it, which saves electricity cost for the user. Input for a specialist need I have designed a keyboard with an additional feature that allows the blind people to type using this keyboard. I have met the specifications for this design as I have designed an input which serves a specialist need for the blind people with a brail keyboard, it also has a MIC fitted with the keyboard which allows the user to speak into the MIC and the computer then interprets the words and types up into the document. Output for a specialist need I have designed a TV and speaker which is voice activated and used for disabled people. I have met the specifications of the design as I have designed a TV and speaker which allows the disabled to remotely command the TV, for example ON would mean the TV to turn on etc. This would allow the dibbled user to sit where they are and command the TV without having to move. M3 Describe how effectiveness of HCI may be measured Usually the effectiveness of HCI can be measured when you carry out tests such as ? Speed of interaction ?Number of errors from actions ?Ease of understanding by the user The effectiveness of HCI can be measured by doing tests that looks at the speed of interaction between the user and the HCI, it measures the how long the response is after the user makes a move on the HCI, and if the speed of interaction is very high then that piece of HCI will be known as very effective, this is because the HCI will allow you to move around the computer easily and quickly without much trouble. The effectiveness of HCI can also be measured by doing tests on that HCI to see how much errors it has, and after doing tests if the results show that it has a lot of errors then that HCI will not be a very effective. This is because a lot of errors on a HCI can make the user slow down when interacting with the HCI, but if there are not that much errors then it can be known as an effective HCI, because the user can use it effectively without having to troubleshoot. The effectiveness of HCI can be measured by the understanding of the user and to what extent the user has the knowledge and understanding of the HCI. If it seems as though that the user does not have the understanding of the HCI then the conclusion would be that the HCI is not very effective. But if the user is understanding the HCI and can easily interact with the HCI then the HCI is effective as the user can use the HCI without any issues D2 Compare the HCI you have developed with those commercially produced for similar products, indicating the good and less good features of each and any improvements which could be made. I have designed six HCI’s to suit the purpose of those users who interact with computers, and now I will compare my HCI’s with real HCI’ which are produced commercially and determine the advantages of my HCI and disadvantages of each and every HCI. My first design is a news tablet reader, where the user is able to read all the newspaper digitally. Those news tablet that are produced commercially are the standard designs which have very less features, those commercially produced are updated daily with the news from all the newspapers. The advantages of my HCI: ?Speakers that allow the user to listen to the news if they want, although the news can be heard via the speakers. ?Compared to the commercially produced news tablets my HCI has a keyboard which can be accessed from the tablet, this allows the user to visit other news sites that are not listed on the tablet as default sites. ?It allows the user to interact with the HCI using a mouse which is connected to the keyboard in case the touch screen does not work. The disadvantages of my HCI: The keyboard is not safe to use as this could damage the keyboard, because the news tablet is designed to be used whilst on the move but having all these extra features of using the keyboard at the bottom could break or snap. ?Instead of having a built mouse to move around the tablet, it would be better if there was a slot to let the user insert a mouse externally. The second design is a printer that a touchpad which allows the user to manually type in the number of copies of a document the user would like. So for instance if the user sent a document to the printer and then realised that the user needs more than one copy then simply just add more copies. The advantages of my HCI: ?The design of the touchpad is such that any age any user can easily use the touchpad, as the touchpad is labelled with easy text. ?If under any circumstances the touchpad does not work then the user can access the printer with alternative buttons. The disadvantages of my HCI: My HCI does not have many features that other Printers may have. ?I could have designed a printer with a built in photocopier or scanner. The third design is a gaming steering wheel, which compared to the commercially produced ones is a lot better as my HCI gives more features to interact with the user. The advantages of my HCI: Built in bio metric scanner saves game data to the user’s profile. These are done by the users creating their own profile and assign their finger print on their profile. ?In case the steering wheel malfunctions then there are buttons that can be used to manually play the game. There are built in speakers that let the user listen to the game play.

Waste Land Essay: Truth through Complexity :: T.S. Eliot Waste Land Essays

The Waste Land: Truth through Complexity The basic method used in The Waste Land may be described as the application of the principle of complexity. T S Eliot uses a parallel structure on the surface to develop an ironic contrast, and then uses surface contrasts in a parallel form. To the reader, this gives the effect of chaotic experience ordered into a new whole, though the realistic surface of experience is faithfully retained. The fortune-telling of "The Burial of the Dead" will illustrate the general method very satisfactorily. On the surface of the poem the poet reproduces the patter of the charlatan, Madame Sosostris, and there is the surface irony: the contrast between the original use of the Tarot cards and the use made by Madame Sosostris. But each of the details (justified realistically in the palaver of the fortune-teller) assumes a new meaning in the general context of the poem. There is then, in addition to the surface irony, something of a Sophoclean irony too, and the "fortune-telling," which is taken ironically by a twentieth-century audience, becomes true as the poem develops--true in a sense in which Madame Sosostris herself does not think it true. The surface irony is thus reversed and becomes an irony on a deeper level. The items of her speech have only one reference in terms of the context of her speech: the "man with three staves," the "one-eyed merchant," the "crowds of people, walking round in a ring," etc. But transferred to other contexts they become loaded with special meanings. To sum up, all the central symbols of the poem head up here; but here, in the only section in which they are explicitly bound together, the binding is slight and accidental. The deeper lines of association only emerge in terms of the total context as the poem develops--and this is, of course, exactly the effect which the poet intends. The poem would undoubtedly be "clearer" if every symbol had a single, unequivocal meaning; but the poem would be thinner, and less honest. For the poet has not been content to develop a didactic allegory in which the symbols are two-dimensional items adding up directly to the sum of the general scheme. They represent dramatized instances of the theme, embodying in their own nature the fundamental paradox of the theme. We shall better understand why the form of the poem is right and inevitable if we compare Eliot's theme to Dante's and to Spenser's.

Porters 5 Generic Strategies Essay

One of the greatest tools of use for a firm is being aware of it’s position within an industry. When a company is knowledgeable of where it stands, it can more accurately assess its strengths and weaknesses and what is, or has the potential to be, it’s competitive advantage. Michael Porter, believed that the basis for this advantage falls under 3 base strategies of Cost leadership, Differentiation and Focus. With the use of his generic strategy model, a firm, understanding where its competitive advantage lies, can then formulate and implement an effective business strategy geared towards the sustainability of this advantage. The 3 bases, formed 5 generic strategies : Cost Leadership, strongly speaks towards the production of a lower price product. It appeals to consumers because of low cost. Type 1 strategy is Cost Leadership : low cost, that offers the product at the lowest price available on the market. Type 2 is best value, that offers the lowest price for value available on the market. A firm seeking to become a cost leader then, is attempting to gain a competitive advantage by producing at the lowest cost. For example, the automobile sector, in formulating a strategy must attempt to cut costs at every step of their value chain, whether it is using word of mouth over advertisements or engaging in vertical integration strategies in an attempt to control costs. They must improve the efficiencies of their processes and because of its low cost nature, be prepared to be highly leveraged, if necessary, to maintain its position. Malaysia’s car makers Perodua and Proton are examples of cost leaders, but also of how this position is used to formulate strategy. The rival low cost maker, Perodua, entered the market and lowered prices further in retaliation and assumed market control, but then because of limitation of supplies and new government regulation Proton once more overtook Perodua. Thus the cost leader must constantly stay aware of the 5 forces, and it environment of business in order to maintain its competitive advantage. Differentiation, Porter’s Type 3, calls for a product that possesses certain attributes that the customer perceives as both valuable and better than competitors. This position allows firms more leniency with regards to price as the focus is more heavily on value. This strategy will not only aid but  guide a firm’s management activities as they incur greater costs which should be offset by sales revenue. This should allow the firm, in carrying out its strategic activities to realise the importance of brand loyalty, cost associated with aggressive sales and marketing tactics to establish that perceived value to consumers and the significance on the value chain of research and development. General Motors, at a time when Ford dominated the market, offered new features at premium prices to a higher class of public. The mission, a car for every purse and purpose, was exceeded as they became the leading company. New entrants were discouraged, buyers had low bargaining power due to the lack of alternatives, supplier increases could be passed on through sales price and substitutes and rivals were deterred because of the loyalty consumers had to GM’s exciting features. A great example of how Porter’s strategy guided their activities and secured their competitive advantage. Type 4, low cost focus and Type 5, best value focus, offers products and services to a niche group at the lowest price available on the market and the lowest price for value available on the market, respectively. Type 4, for example the used car dealership, offers bargain hunters low cost vehicles for a few inconveniences such as their own maintenance. Type 5, for example Corvette, offer a higher price to niche group and maintain loyalty by offering an experience unlike any other. For this reason, Type 5 is sometimes referred to as focused differentiation. For types 4 and 5, strategic management must focus on the development of core competencies and use it as a potential barrier to entry and base for minimizing threats of substitutes, extensive analysis of the 5 forces, value chain and financial capabilities as targeting a niche group may be costly for a Type 5 strategy or may not produce enough revenue for the focused cost leader (Type 4). Porter’s strategies, coined generic, because they are exactly that, have no particular application process but rather the firm using these strategies must develop the best way to sustain their competitive advantage. The firm must define its position and analyze its industry, after a strategy is selected, the firm must develop a plan to implement it then continuously monitor the market signals in order to keep up with the ever changing environment of business. Strategic management’s activities then will take  into account the external environment, the organisation’s capabilities and select and develop strategies always bearing in mind the organisation’s purpose and direction. These strategies, closely paired with the 5 forces, focus on continuous improvement for an organisation to meet the challenges of global change, exactly what strategic management is centered on, the formulation, implementation and evaluation of plans to achieve organisational success .

How to Speak to a Customer Service Representative

At some point, most of us make a telephone call to a companys customer service department. Whether its to place an order or a complaint, dispute a charge, or ask a question, its important to know how to communicate with customer service representatives. In this intermediate-level role-play dialogue, you will get a better understanding of how to interact with a customer service representative. Customer service calls usually follow a standard procedure. The representative will often ask for information such as your address and phone number. After practicing this role-play, you should be able to conduct these types of phone calls with what youve learned. Grab a partner and start practicing. Customer Service Representative: Hello, Big City Electricity, how may I help you today? Mr. Peters: Im calling concerning my electricity bill. Customer Service Representative: May I have your account number? Mr. Peters: Certainly, its 4392107. Customer Service Representative: Thank you, is this Mr. Peters? Mr. Peters: Yes, this is Mr. Peters. Customer Service Representative: Thank you, what can I help you with? Mr. Peters:Â  I think Ive been overcharged for the past month. Customer Service Representative: Im sorry to hear that. Why do you think we charged you too much? Mr. Peters: The bill is 300% higher than last month. Customer Service Representative: Im sorry to hear that. Let me ask you a few questions and then Ill see what I can do. Mr. Peters: OK, Thank you for your help. Customer Service Representative: Of course, thank you for calling this to our attention. Now, how much do you usually pay for your electricity? Mr. Peters: I usually pay about $50 a month.​ Customer Service Representative: Thank you. And how much did we charge on this bill?​ Mr. Peters: $150. I cant understand why.​ Customer Service Representative: Yes, Mr. Peters. Was your usage different in any way?​ Mr. Peters: No, it was an average month.​ Customer Service Representative: Im sorry. There certainly seems to be a mistake.​ Mr. Peters: Well, Im happy you agree with me.​ Customer Service Representative: Ill contact a service representative to come out and check your meter. Whats your address, Mr. Peters?​ Mr. Peters: 223 Flanders St., Tacoma, Washington 94998​ Customer Service Representative: Whats your phone number?​ Mr. Peters: 408-533-0875​ Customer Service Representative: Im terribly sorry about the misunderstanding. Well do our best to change this as quickly as possible. Mr. Peters: Thank you for your help in clearing this up. Customer Service Representative: Of course. Is there anything else that I can help you with today? Mr. Peters: No, thank you. That would be all. Customer Service Representative: Okay. Thanks for calling, Mr. Peters, and I hope you have a good day. Mr. Peters: You too! Goodbye.