Design Principles and Software Life Cycle

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Questions and Answers

Which aspect of prototypes can be negatively affected when developing non-functional features?

User safety and reliability (correct)

System usability

Design performance

Cost of development

What is a significant challenge faced by project managers regarding prototyping?

Inadequate planning and costing (correct)

Excessive time allocation to prototyping

Too much technical knowledge

Insufficient team collaboration

Which of Shneiderman's 'Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design' emphasizes the importance of consistent user experience?

Offer simple error handling

Strive for consistency (correct)

Enable frequent users to use shortcuts

Support internal locus of control

What distinguishes 'limited functionality simulations' in prototyping?

They simulate only specific parts of the system's functionality Signup and view all the answers

Which principle of usability refers to the various methods for user-system information exchange?

Flexibility Signup and view all the answers

What does design rationale help to enforce during the design process?

Design discipline Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT one of Shneiderman's 'Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design'?

Design dialog to achieve engagement Signup and view all the answers

What can be a consequence of design inertia in the iterative design process?

Persistent usability problems Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of the 'requirements' stage in the interaction design process?

To gain an empathic understanding of the problem being solved Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the trade-off in design?

Choosing which goals or constraints can be relaxed to meet others Signup and view all the answers

What does 'validation' refer to in the software life cycle?

Ensuring that the product meets user needs and expectations Signup and view all the answers

Which phase of the software life cycle follows 'coding and unit testing'?

Integration and Testing Signup and view all the answers

In the Waterfall Model, how is the process structured?

Each activity leads naturally into the next Signup and view all the answers

What is the benefit of using iterative prototyping in the design process?

It helps find what is truly needed through testing Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following stages is involved in the detailed design of a system?

Refinement of system components and interrelations Signup and view all the answers

What is a key aspect of software maintenance?

Correcting errors discovered after the system’s release Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Design

Design is about achieving goals within constraints
Goals define the purpose of the design
Constraints include materials and platform
Trade-offs involve choosing which goals or constraints can be relaxed

The Interaction Design Process

Requirements define what is desired
Empathic understanding of the problem is crucial
Analysis involves observation and synthesis
Design involves idea generation

Iteration and Prototyping

Getting it right and identifying needed features
Prototypes are tested within the team
Design solutions are refined
Iteration is crucial

Implementation and Deployment

Designers and evaluators rigorously test the software product.
The goal is complete product testing.

The Software Life Cycle

Software engineering guides the design process
Design is a continuous activity throughout the life cycle
The waterfall model is one of several life cycle models. Waterfall progresses sequentially.

Waterfall Model

Each activity leads to the next.
Requirements specification (natural language)
Architectural design (high-level system description)
Detailed design (architectural component refinement)

Coding, Testing, and Maintenance

Coding and Unit testing (implementation in programming language and verification)
Integration and testing (component verification)
Maintenance (error correction and service revision)

Traditional Software Engineering Life Cycles

Throw-away prototype: built, tested, and discarded
Incremental approach: components built one at a time
Evolutionary approach: multiple prototypes are provided with increasing functionality.

Time and Planning

Prototyping requires time, which may be considered precious by project managers
Planning for the design process, including prototyping, should be considered and costed appropriately.

Non-Functional Features

Non-functional features such as safety and reliability are important and may be overlooked during prototyping
These features may be sacrificed during the prototyping phase.

Contracts

Contractual agreements (between designers and customers) can impact the design process.
Factors within these contracts may change the design process significantly.

Prototyping Techniques

Storyboards (animated or computer-based; useful for visualizing)
Limited functionality simulations (limited simulations or components useful in demonstrating parts of the system)

Design Rationale

Explains why a computer system is the way it is.
Focuses on communicating decisions throughout the development life cycle.
Allows arguments and trade-offs to be organized.

Usability Principles

Learnability: ease of use for new users
Flexibility: multiple ways of interacting.
Robustness: support in determining success

Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design (Shneiderman)

Consistency
Shortcuts for frequent users
Informative feedback
Allow errors to be easily corrected
Simple error-handling
Reversal actions allowed
Support user control.
Memory load reduction

Norman's Seven Principles

Use both knowledge in the world and knowledge in the head
Simplify task structure.
Make things visible.
Get the mappings right.
Exploit constraints.
Design for errors.
Standardize (when all else fails)

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Description

This quiz covers essential principles of design, focusing on goals, constraints, and the design process. It also delves into the software life cycle, including various models like the waterfall model and the importance of iteration and prototyping. Test your understanding of these key concepts in design and software engineering.