Evaluation Criteria
This is a list of performance indicators that I will use to evaluate my system when it is completed
- How easy is the system to use?
- How effective is the user interface?
- The quality of the outputs for example customer statements.
- How much faster is the new system to use than the old system?
- How accurate is the output of the new system?
- The speed of the new system.
Interview With User
The purpose of this interview is to find out what needs the system has to accomplish for the user.
- How is the information stored at present?
- What details are stored?
- What is the procedure when someone calls to book use of special facilities?
- What is the procedure of creating a new membership?
- How long is the information kept?
- Do you often have to use previous records?
- Do your staff require basic knowledge of computer use?
- What computer facilities do you use at present?
The Current System
The Current system used by the fitness centre is a paper-based filing system. Customer’s data is hand written onto pre-printed membership forms then filed into filing cabinets. The forms are filed in alphabetical order according the customers surname to provide fastest access of individual forms. The currents system has many limitations that could be solved by the introduction of a new system. For example the filing cabinets require a large amount of space due to the large amount of data held. This space could be used for better use such as a customer lounge or staff room. Despite being in alphabetical order it still requires some time to locate a customer file, this will slow down customer service and cause inconvenience to the user. Another limitation of the existing system is that if the customer requires a copy of the data or the membership details need to be edited then the user has to either make a copy of the original or write out a new form, this wastes money and is time consuming.
Design of tables
The design of the tables is important because it is the user interface and will help provide speed and ease for the user while operating the system. I will now make rough designs of the tables.
Normalisation
Normalising data is a method of efficiently organising the date and breaking it down into its separate forms. It ensures;
- Data is unnecessarily duplicated
- Data is consistent throughout the database
- The structure of the tables allows the user to complete actions using the tables such as queries.
Un-normalised data
Customer ID
Customers Name
Customers Address
Customers Telephone Number
Date of Membership
Date Membership Expirers
Method of club fees payment
record of unpaid subscriptions
Customer’s special requirements
Instructor ID
Instructor Name
Lesson ID
Lesson date
Lesson Time
Lesson Cost
1st Normal form
Ensure there are no repeating groups within the entity. If there are any repeating groups then remove them and create a new table.
Customer Table
Customer ID
Customer name
Customer address
Customer Telephone
Date of membership
Date membership expires
Method of Club fees payment
Record of unpaid subscriptions
Customer special requirements
Customer Instructor
Instructor ID, Instructor Name, Patient ID (key fields in silver)
2nd Normal Form
In entries with two key fields remove attributes which do not depend on both keys.
Instructor Table
Instructor ID
Instructor name
3rd Normal Form
Remove mutually dependant attributes.
Lesson Table
Lesson ID
Lesson Date
Lesson Time
Lesson Cost
Instructor Table
Instructor ID
Instructor Name
Customer Table
Customer ID
Customer name
Customer address
Customer Telephone0
Date of membership
Date membership expires
Method of Club fees payment
Record of unpaid subscriptions
Customer special requirements
Forms Relation Diagram
Queries
A query is a search that can be carried out by the system of the data that is held. For example the user can search for all records of customers who live in Chelmsford, the system will then display the results in a separate form, which can be viewed or printed. Examples of queries could include:
- Find all customers that live in Chelmsford
- Find customers who are due to pay subscriptions
- Find all customers whose memberships are due to expire
The results of query number three could then be incorporated into mail merge letters. This would result in the almost automated production of letters informing the customer that their membership will soon expire and giving them the information required on renewing their membership.
These are the 4 main types of query that my system will be able to operate:
Validation
Validation is the process of checking data as it is inputted into the computer. For example a validation rule would prevent the customers name from being entered into the field for their contact number. This is a method of preventing data from being entered incorrectly. This will reduce time taken to create a new membership and will reduce inconvenience for the customer and user.
If data is entered incorrectly then the system will display an alert box to inform of the mistake and provide an opportunity to correct the mistake before finalising the form.
Subtasks
Subtasks are operations in the system which the user carries out. The tasks within the system would be;
Customer administration
- Add a new customer
- Edit an existing account
- Delete an existing account
Lesson booking (use of specialist facilities/Lessons)
- Create booking
- Cancel/Delete booking
Instructor Administration
- Create new instructor account
- Edit instructor account
- Delete instructor account
General administration
- Update prices
- Calculate prices
- Issue receipt for customer
- Delete any unwanted records
Possible Solutions
It is possible to improve upon the existing system. For example disposing of old records that are obsolete, this would help to reduce storage space of records. The disadvantage of this is that it would be very time consuming and would need to be done regularly because the centre keeps records of all lessons booked and customer files.
Time Plan
The table below shows the time plan I will be working to ensure that my system is completed in the allocated time. The table shows the individual tasks leading up to the deadline.
Test Plan
User testing
Liam Smith used the system and its functions several times to test it. He made the following observations:
He stated that the system was a definite improvement upon the old system. He found no serious problems with the system but made a few comments.
Firstly he notice that the reports print out in portrait format. The reports printed out on two pages and therefore was a waste of paper. I have solved this problem by changing the properties of the reports to print out in landscape.
He thought that the design and format of the forms was excellent and very user friendly.
User Guide
Welcome to the Chelmsford Health Centre’s computer systems. This system has been designed to help in completing administration within the centre. The system is intended to aid the user and reduce time and cost of applying the centres administration. The system offers a number of reporting features such as: creating customer accounts, booking lessons and running queries.
The minimum system requirements needed to run my system would be a Pentium 200 with 64Mb of memory. The hardware needed will also include a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
How to Install the System
The system is supplied in a compressed format on a 1.44Mb floppy disc. The file is called DB1.exe and is extracted by double clicking on it. To install the system follow these instructions:
- Insert the floppy disc into the computer.
- Access the A Drive then double click on the file DB1 to unzip the file.
- Follow the on-screen instructions within WinZip to unzip the file.
- Double click on the new file to open the system.
The program will start and the user will be introduced by the slash screen.
Part one: Entering the system
Above is a shot of the splash screen that will be displayed every time the user enters the system
This displays the entrance message to the system, the company logo and the current date and time. This has been designed to make the system more user friendly and provide a welcome introduction to the system. This splash screen will be displayed every time the system is run. The splash screen is displayed for around five seconds. The user is then automatically directed to the main switchboard page, shown below.
Part two: The main Switchboard
Above is a screenshot that shows the details of the main switchboard page.
The user is given three options. These are “forms” “queries” and “exit”.
Part Three: Forms
The first function within the forms option is creating a new customer account. This is done firstly by clicking on forms. The user is then directed to the new switchboard screen shown below.
The first function on this page is “customer table” this is used to create a new customer account.
From here the user can enter the customer details quickly and easily. Once the user has finished entering the details they can then click on the small arrow to save the form and refresh the fields.
The buttons shown below appear on every form.
The next option is to book a customer lesson. By clicking on “book lesson” the user is asked to enter the instructor surname shown below
they are then asked to enter the date of the lesson they wish to book
they are then directed to this screen
It will show any lessons that have been previously booked on the same day with the same instructor. This multiple lessons being booked for the same time. The form is archived and save the same way as the customer account form.
The next option open to the user is to create a new instructor account. By clicking on “add instructor” they user is directed to the screen shown below.
The instructor details can be entered into the fields the closed and archived by clicking on the close button in the top right.
The next option available allows the user to enter a specific date then the details of any lessons booked on that date will be displayed. The user enters the date into the screen show below and then selects “OK” to search the date.
The results are then displayed as shown below
This function has been developed as an easy way for the user to search for any lessons booked on a specific date without having to use the book lesson function.
Part Four: Queries
By clicking on the back button the user is taken to the main switchboard page. The next option is to click on the “queries” button. A query is a function that allows the user to search for particular data within all the data held by the system.
The user is then directed to the set of options shown above. These are queries used to search the customer database for certain values. For example by clicking on “method of payment” the option shown below is displayed.
The user then enters the type of payment they wish to search for then clicks on “OK”. To cancel the query the user just has to click on “Cancel” and the window is closed and the user is directed to the switchboard.
The results of the query are displayed in the table below.
Part Five: Reports
The next option available to the user is to create a report. A report is a presentation of the chosen data that can be easily printed.
The reports menu has every search criteria listed. For example if the user wanted to create a report of all the customers who paid their subscriptions then the user would click on “method of payment”.
The following box will then be displayed. The user then enters the method of payment they wish to search for.
The results will then be displayed in a report as shown below:
Part Six: Exiting
To exit the system then the user must first be in the main switchboard page then click on “exit”. The window shown below will then be displayed.
By clicking on “yes” then the entire program is exited. By clicking “cancel” then the window is closed and the user is directed back to the main switchboard page.
Part Seven: Backup Procedures
The program is provided on a floppy disk. This disk should be retained in the event of the program being deleted from the hard drive. There is also a back-up disk supplied that contains a copy of the program in case the original is lost. It is also suggested that data from the system is regularly saved to a permanent storage medium for example onto a CD or ZIP drive then placed in a locked location. This should be done at least every week to try to decrease loss of data in the event of computer memory being lost. There are no security measures included in the system so it is suggested that all computer terminals with access to the system are kept within staff-only areas and that workstations should require a username and password as a minimum-security measure.
Part Eight: Common Problems
The graphics on the main page looked misaligned on the screen.
It is most likely that you are running the window in full screen; the program has been designed to be operated in a restored window size to allow the user to easily access other parts of their operating system whilst working.
The colours on the switchboard do not look correct
The system has been designed to operate on a monitor using 16bit colour quality. Try adjusting your screen settings.
The Print option does not work
This is most likely a printer related problem. Ensure that the printer is switched on and installed. Also ensure that it is not low on ink or paper.
The Query I perform does not retrieve any results
This could be because your database does not contain any of the details you are searching for yet. Test the query by entering a piece of data that you are sure exists.
When I print a report it is not positioned on the page correctly
The reports have been designed to print in a landscape format. The settings could vary however depending on the individual computer or printer options. Ensure that the printer is set to print in landscape.
The program keeps crashing
This is due to the computer not having enough RAM (random access memory that is used to run programs) This means that the computer is struggling to operate the program, you may need to update your computer or delete some old, unused memory.
Evaluation
I will now report on the degree of success of my project. I will use my initial end user requirements as an indicator of how successful the system has been.
My first requirement was to reduce the time it takes to create a new membership. I believe that I have achieved this by creating an easy-to-use system providing a simple method of using the features. This can reduce the time taken to create a membership by providing easy to enter fields. The time is also reduced because if the user makes a mistake it can be easily erased without any interruptions between the user and customer.
Another advantage of the new system is that it reduces time it takes to access membership files. This is because the old paper based system required the user to manually access the files stored in the filing cabinets. The new system allows the user to access all the files without interrupting communication with the customer.
The new system helps to reduce storage space because all the data is held electronically within the computer. The existing system stores the files on paper which takes up space as it has to be stored within cabinets or boxes.
With the new system membership details can be easily edited. Individual fields can be altered meaning that each time a correction is made there is no need to re-write the form. This saves, time space and money.
The system can also keep timetables for usage of facilities or lesson times. This allows the user to easily find out when free times are available for a customer and will make it easier to book lessons and reduce errors.
Customer details can also be printed easily, this provides backup copies of lesson or membership details and can be presented to the customer.
The user interface must be easy and quick to use to reduce times to book lessons and help reduce errors whilst booking. This will help to maximise bookings and sales.
