Chapter 2:
9. Even with the advances in technology and the prevalence of self-training, centralized training and support are needed. Having the centralized training gives the end user a feeling of a more personal atmosphere. They are able to interact with everyone in the training, even the instructor, face-to-face rather than over the phone or via chat. Having centralized support is needed as the support is trained in help with problems that would take the normal end user a lot more time to figure out the fix.
10. Yes it is good to rely on vendors for computing support as they are trained specifically for computing support and should know the systems very well. No it is not good to rely on vendors for computing support as they do not know the culture of the company as internal computing support would. The argument can go either way, it depends on what the company is looking for more in their support.
Chapter 3:
1. Pg 101. As with all prototypes, you will want to come up with the design, develop the prototype and then implement the prototype to see how it works with the end user (see if it is what the end user needs and functions the way they need it to). If it passes the testing portion with the end user it can be fully developed and sent to all the end users. If there are problems, find where the problems are, fix them and have it tested again.
5. Most reports I see go right into the details. I think it would be better, at least for me, if the reports started out with the main information. Example: Grade reports should list your grades for the classes in the very beginning. After they show the grades, go into the more detailed information about the grades.
Chapter 4: Pg 143
5. Almost any task that uses a computer would be good candidates for form based interaction within an information system, most already are. Inputting any type of data into a computer, whether it is for a ticketing system or in an excel document, it is using a form.
6. I have used: Keyboard, mouse, joystick, trackball, touch screen and graphics tablet. I used the keyboard for pretty much everything I do on the computer, keyboard shortcuts are a great thing to know. Same as the keyboard, the mouse is used in almost everything I do on the computer. I only would use a joystick for games, no other practical application in my eyes. The trackball is a good device, but can take a little getting used to if you never used one. Touch screens would be great to use more, but I can see where it can cause the fatigue. I mainly only use the graphics tablet when, well, working on graphics, best tool to use.