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ChaPter 11 • Designing effeCtive outPut 299

to improve the chances that their next bids will be successful. The Web designer clearly had a
solid profile of the intended customer in mind when designing the site.
hoW Many people need The oUTpUT? Choice of output technology is also influenced by how
many users need the output. If many people need output, Web-based documents with a print
option or printed copies are probably justified. Some external customers may want a printed
copy of specific documents, such as a stockholder report or a monthly billing statement, but
others may prefer Web-based documents with an email notification. If only one user needs the
output, a screen or audio may be more suitable.
Where is The oUTpUT needed (disTribUTion, logisTics)? The choice of output technology is
influenced by the physical destination of the output. Information that will remain close to its point
of origin, that will be used by only a few users in the business, and that may be stored or referred
to frequently can safely be printed or mounted on an intranet. An abundance of information that
must be transmitted to users at great distances in branch operations may be better distributed
electronically, via the Web or extranets, with the recipient customizing it.
Sometimes federal or state regulations dictate that a printed form remain on file at a par-
ticular location for a specified period of time. In those instances, it is the responsibility of the
systems analyst to see that the regulation is observed for any output that is designed.
WhaT is The pUrpose of The oUTpUT? What user and organizational tasks are supported?
Consider the purpose of the output when choosing output technology. If it is intended to be
a report created to attract shareholders to the business by allowing them to peruse corporate
finances at their leisure, well-designed, printed output such as an annual report is desirable. A
variety of media may also be used so that the annual report is available on the Web as well as
in printed form. The web page shown in Figure 11.4 provides a series of six brief video clips
to document an actual event, the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) Knowledge Bowl. Video
output is useful here because the event was held to commemorate an important anniversary in the
organization’s history. It serves a historical purpose.
If the purpose of output may be to provide instant updates on stock market quotes, and if the
material is highly encoded and changeable, screen crawls, web pages, or audio presentations are
preferable. Output must support user tasks, such as performing analysis, or determining ratios,
so software tools, including calculators and embedded formulas, could be part of output. Output
must also support organizational tasks such as tracking, scheduling, and monitoring.
WhaT is The speed WiTh Which oUTpUT is needed? As we go through the three levels of
strategic, middle, and operations management in an organization, we find that decision makers

Figure 11.4
Streaming video can be used
effectively for telling a story or
sharing an event. This web page
chronicles an event called the DSI
Knowledge Bowl.