Answer to Question #228956 in Software Engineering for Mamsy

Question

Craig bought a new point if sale system for his military surplus store. This system keeps track of his stock, allows him to process sales transactions and will allow him to generate various reports using the system. Craig has been experiencing several problems. He phones the system's customer care line. He mentions that he doesn't know whether the system is busy processing commands or whether the system is idle. On one screen the word 'Edit' is used and on another screen the word 'Modify' is used. He told the customer care department that some buttons look like labels and that there doesn't appear to be clear to navigate through the system. The system also doesn't inform him when transactions is successfully completed. If Craig has made a mistake, he can't undo the transaction. Every activity that Craig wishes to complete takes no less than seven steps and there are no shortcuts for him to use.

List four Design principles that were ignored by designers of the system and provide examples from the scenario.

Answer 1

In the design profession, four essential characteristics found in every well-designed artwork—contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity—are affectionately referred to as CRAP.