3.6 - System Design

• Voice input uses natural spoken language to interact and control software applications.
• Voice inputs could be used for translators or personal assistants e.g. siri
• Issues With Voice Input

  • Natural language is ambiguous as some words have many meanings
  • Colloquialisms
  • Commands can be phrased in many ways
  • Accents make it difficult to detect the words spoken
  • Background noise can interfere
• Touch input is where a user can tap and perform gestures on a screen, providing both an input and output device
• Touch Input Uses large icons and buttons to accommodate a person's finger. If they are too small, a person can easily misclick
• Touch Screens are intuitive to use
• Touch Screens remove the requirement of many peripherals e.g. a mouse and keyboard
• Touch screens utilise the conductivity of a person's finger through captive technology
• Force feedback is the use of subtle vibrations to give the user a physical sense that an action has occured
• Force feedback is used in smartphones when receiving alerts as an alternative to a notification sound
• Virtual Reality uses a headset and sometimes hand held peripherals to allow a 3D environment to be interacted with in a seemingly physical way
• Augmented reality takes real world images and overlays digital information over it
• Evaluating a system allows a customer and development company determine whether a project has been successful, enabling the development company to be paid and reduce the chances of litigation
• Evaluation Assessment Criteria:

  • Requirements: has the system met the initial specification
  • Performance: does the system perform an output in a timely manner
  • Robustness: does the system frequently crash
  • Cost: was the system developed with the initial budget
  • Usability: is the system accessible to the intended end user