LO2

• sensitive information

  should be protected from being released publicly, if released it could harm the safety or privacy of an organisation or individual - it should be stored under more stringent requirements
• non-sensitive information

  information that can be released publicly with no fear of negative consequences
• private information

  information where only a select few people can see, it relates to an individual and should not be shared with anyone else without that individual's permission - protected by DPA
• public information

  data that has been released to the public and therefore can be seen by anyone
• personal information

  can be used to identify a person, however some personal information on its own may not be able to identify the person
• business information

  information about an organisation or information that is about a specific business - this can be public or private
• confidential information

  information that has limited access to only those who need to know or authorised people - restricts access
• classified information

  highly sensitive information that the government deems necessary to protect - often leaks can be punished by law, those who shouldn't have access might have really serious consequences
• partially anonymised information

  parts of information is replaced with symbols to retain some usefulness of the information
• completely anonymised information

  where all the information is censored and unable to be viewed - all identifiable data has been removed and rendered useless
• 3 levels of classified information in the UK

  • official
  • secret
  • top secret
• List types of information styles

  • text
  • graphic
  • video
  • animated graphic
  • audio
  • numerical
  • braille text
  • tactile images
  • subtitles
  • boolean
  • tables and spreadsheets
  • charts and graphics
• list characteristics of information

  • validity
  • reliability
  • bias
  • comparable
  • relevance
  • completeness
  • accuracy
• positive effects of good quality information

  • Reliable information received by the management team can lead to informed decisions with a higher chance of success.
  • Good quality research information can lead to innovation and better understanding.
  • Good quality sales information leads to better strategic decisions and allows for businesses to plan ahead.
  • Accurate cost projection information allows projects to stay within their budget.
  • Accurate time expectations allow projects to be completed on time.
• negative effects of poor quality information (1)

  • Biased survey - inaccurate results - misinformed decisions and not responding to customer needs properly.
  • Inaccurate stock information - inaccurate delivery times - customers unhappy - too much/little stock.
  • Out of date information received by management can result in missing out on opportunities and a possible fall in profit.
• negative effects of poor quality information (2)

  • Inaccurate data - poor reviews online - loss of customer trust, loss of customers and (damage) reputation and cause financial issues.
  • Inaccurate time expectations - projects can take longer, cost more, make stakeholders unhappy - cause possible project failure.
• benefits of text

  gets to the point, tells you what it is about in a short manner, predominant information style, can go into a lot of detail
• limitations of text

  may be difficult to interpret if there is a lot of text, visual impairment issues, language barrier, must be able to read, long body of text - difficult to find pertinent points, boring
• benefits of graphic

  image on news article to exemplify text helps readers visualise what is being said, can show instructions visually, simpler to show processes, helps with branding
• limitations of graphics

  no depth in information, wrong or inappropriate image used can be distracting or confusing, low quality image is not suited to be shown or used, could be vague
• benefits of animated graphics

  short form that can combine multiple images together to exemplify instructions/processes (tutorials), easy to send information across in a digital way
• limitations of animated graphics

  takes time to create, visual impairment issues, used inappropriately or wrong can be more confusing rather than helpful
• benefits of video

  marketing purposes - showcasing products, viewed by large audience, videos can be viewed whenever, not limited to how many times you can watch it, can visually see what is happening
• limitations of video

  takes time to create, being watched with unstable internet connection can make it delayed and unhelpful instead
• benefits of numerical data

  can plan for investment from currency data, you know how old the information is
• limitations of numerical data

  potentially an increased chance of error rate when entering numerical data
• benefits of audio

  tones can be heard which can help you understand instructions better, aids people who are visually impaired, hands free to convey information, may be more memorable or easy to remember, audio can be customised and played above the sound level to grab the user's attention (even in a busy environment)
• limitations of audio

  unclear, lack of coherency, static/audio is muffled
• benefits of tactile images

  enables visually impaired people to read in their own way, younger children get a better understanding by allowing a sense of touch as well as seeing it, adds more layers of information, makes information more accessible to a larger demographic of people
• limitations of tactile images

  limit to depth of information, requires specialist equipment and space to have the image
• benefits of subtitles

  can be shown in another language, hearing impairments, helps you stay concentrated to a video, see context of new word being introduced
• limitations of subtitles

  distracting from video, may be misaligned with audio making it harder for viewers to keep up or stay on track
• validity 


  valid information is correct, up-to-date and complete information that fits it purpose
• reliability - quality of being trustworthy 


  information can be verified or the source has a reputation for accurate information
• bias - one-sided perspective/view


  not letting their agenda influence the information, the information is technically still correct but slanted
• comparable - able to be likened to another


  whether it is in the same format as other information and so it can be looked at side-by-side (be compared)
• completeness - having all necessary parts/components


  whether all required information is present or not, missing out parts of the information can be costly when making decisions
• accuracy - being correct or precise


  information should be carefully selected and correct, inaccurate information can lead to unwanted consequences such as higher costs or missed deadlines
• relevance - being closely connected or appropriate


  information should be appropriate for the required purpose, irrelevant information may get in the way of correct decision making
• benefits of braille

  allow visually impaired individuals to interact with computer systems via a braille terminal, braille printer can print documents that are written in braille and given to blind people to read