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ChaPter 11 • Designing effeCtive outPut 301

COnsUlting OppORtUnity 11.2

A Right Way, a Wrong Way, and a Subway

“So far so good. Sure, there have been some complaints, but here. Remember that we projected that only 10 percent of our
any new subway will have those. The ‘free ride’ gimmick has sales would be from the booths anyway. Let’s go with our
helped attract some people who never would have ridden other- original idea and add that to the printout,” suggests Turnstile.
wise. I think there are more people than ever before interested in Rayl replies, “But I’ve been observing riders. Half of
riding the subway,” says Bart Rayl. “What we need is an accurate them seem to be afraid of the automated vending machines.
fix on what ridership has been so far so we can make some adjust- Others start using them, get frustrated reading the direc-
ments on our fare decisions and scheduling of trains.” tions, or don’t know what to do with the ticket that comes
Rayl is an operations manager for S.W.I.F.T., the newly built out, and they wind up at the ticket booth blowing off steam.
subway for Western Ipswich and Fremont Transport that serves a Furthermore, they can’t understand the routine information
major northeastern city in the United States. He is speaking with posted on the kiosks, which is all in graphics. They wind up
Benton Turnstile, who reports to him as operations supervisor of asking clerks what train goes where.” Rayl pushes the print-
S.W.I.F.T. The subway system is in its first month of operation, out holding the ticket sales to one side of the conference table
offering limited lines. Marketing people have been giving away and says, “I don’t have much confidence in this report. I feel
free rides on the subway to increase public awareness of S.W.I.F.T. as if we’re sitting here trying to operate the most sophisti-
“I think that’s a good idea,” says Turnstile. “It’s not just a token cated subway system in the United States by peering down a
effort. We’ll show them we’re really on the right track. I’ll get back tunnel instead of at the information, like we should be. I think
to you with ridership information soon,” he says. we need to think seriously about capturing journey informa-
A month later, Rayl and Turnstile meet to compare the pro- tion on magnetically stripped cards like the New York Transit
jected ridership with the new data. Turnstile proudly presents a Authority is doing. Every time you insert the card to take a
2-inch-high stack of computer printouts to Rayl. Rayl looks a little ride, the information is stored.”
surprised but proceeds to go through it with Turnstile. “What all is What are some of the specific problems with the output
in here?” Rayl asks, fingering the top page of the stack hesitantly. that the systems consultants and Benton Turnstile gave to
“Well,” says Turnstile, training his eyes on the printout, “it’s a Bart Rayl? Evaluate the media that are being used for out-
list of all the tickets that were sold from the computerized vending put as well as the timing of its distribution. Comment on the
machines. It tells us how many tickets were bought and what kinds external output that users of the automated ticket machines
of tickets were bought. The guys from Systems That Think, Inc., are apparently receiving. Suggest some changes in output to
told me this report would be the most helpful for us, just like it was help Rayl get the information he needs to make decisions on
for the operations people in Buffalo and Pittsburgh,” says Turnstile, fares and scheduling of trains, and to help users of the sub-
turning quickly to the next page. way system get the information they need. What are some
“Maybe, but remember those subway systems began with really decisions facing organizations like the New York Transit
limited service. We’re bigger. And what about the sales from the Authority if they collect and store input concerning an indi-
three manned ticket booths in the Main Street Terminal?” asks Rayl. vidual’s destinations each time a trip is taken? What changes
“The clerks in the booth can get information summarizing would S.W.I.F.T. have to make to its output and its tickets if it
ticket sales onscreen any time they want it, but it’s not included adopted this technology?

Some output technologies are prized for their unobtrusiveness. Libraries and hospitals,
which emphasize silence in the workplace, make extensive use of displays for Web documents
and other networked database information, but printers might be scarce. Analysts working for a
company that has sustainability as part of its mission may also want to include the idea of green
IT in their output decisions. This might translate into putting more transactions, reports, and
documents online, and discouraging printing of email messages.

Realizing How Output Bias Affects Users
Output is not just a neutral product that is subsequently analyzed and acted on by decision mak-
ers. Output affects users in many different ways. Systems analysts must put great thought and
care into designing output so as to avoid biasing it.

Recognizing Bias in the Way Output Is Used
It is a common error to assume that once a systems analyst has signed off on a system project, his
or her impact is ended. Actually, the analyst’s influence is long-lasting. Much of the information