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ChaPter 4 • InformatIon GatherInG: InteraCtIve methods 127

Figure 4.eX1
A questionnaire developed by
Di Wooly.
Hi! All Employees

are some questions for you to think about.
What’s new? According to the grapevine, I hear we’re in for a new computer. Here
a. How long have you used the old computer?
b. How often does it go down?
c. Who repairs it for you?

system and it was put into use? What was it?
d. When was the last time you suggested a new improvement to the computer
system and nobody used it? What was it?
e. When was the last time you suggested a new improvement to the computer
f. Do you use a VDT or printer or both?
g. How fast do you type?

h. How many people need to access the database regularly at your branch? Is there
anyone not using the computer now who would like to?

11. Also included on the PPC questionnaire is this question:
When residential customers call, I always direct them to our website to get an answer.
Sometimes Never Always Usually
1 2 3 4
a. What type of scale is this intended to be?
b. Rewrite the question and possible responses to achieve better results.
12. Figure 4.EX1 is a questionnaire designed by an employee of Green Toe Textiles, which specializes
in manufacturing men’s socks. Di Wooly wrote the questionnaire because, as the office manager at
headquarters in Juniper, Tennessee, she is concerned with the proposed purchase and implementation
of a new computer system.
a. Provide a one-sentence critique for each question given.
b. In a paragraph, critique the layout and style in terms of white space used, room for responses, ease
of responding, and so on.
13. Based on what you surmise Ms. Wooly is trying to get through the questionnaire, rewrite and reorder
the questions (use both open-ended and closed questions) so that they follow good practice and result
in useful information for the systems analysts. Indicate next to each question that you write whether
it is open ended or closed and write a sentence indicating why you have written the question this
way.
14. Redesign the questionnaire you created for Ms. Wooly in Problem 13 for use on email. Write a para-
graph that says what changes were necessary to accommodate email users.
15. Redesign the questionnaire you created for Ms. Wooly in Problem 13 as a Web survey. Write a para-
graph that says what changes were necessary to accommodate Web users.

Group Projects

1. With your group members, role-play a series of interviews with various system users at Maverick
Transport. Each member of your group should choose one of the following roles: company president,
information technology director, dispatcher, customer service agent, or truck driver. Those group
members playing roles of Maverick Transport employees should attempt to briefly describe their job
responsibilities, goals, and informational needs.
Remaining group members should play the roles of systems analysts and devise interview ques-
tions for each employee. If there are enough people in your group, each analyst may be assigned to