“I think I see now where that guy was coming from, but he had me going for a minute there,” says Miss deLimit. She is discussing a prototype of display output, one designed by the systems analyst that she has just seen. “I mean, I never considered it a problem before if even as much as 20 percent of the total class size couldn’t be fit into a class,” she says. “We know our classes are in demand, and because we can’t hire more faculty to cover the areas we need, the adjustment has to come in the student demand. He’s got it highlighted as a problem if only 5 percent of the students who want a class can’t get in, but that’s okay. Now that I know what he means, I’ll just ignore it when the computer beeps.”

Question

a. In a sentence or two, describe the problem Miss deLimit is experiencing with the display output.
b. Is her solution to “ignore the beeps” a reasonable one given that output is in the prototype stage?
c. In a paragraph, explain how the display output for this particular problem can be changed so that it better reflects the rules of the system Miss deLimit is using.

Answer 1

a. Miss deLimit is experiencing the bias set by the low limit of the systems analyst regarding class demand.

b. Because output is in the prototype stage, she should let the system analyst know about her reaction so that he can make the necessary changes, instead of ignoring the “beeps.” She is not contributing to the prototype if there is no feedback.

c. The display output should allow the user to change limits used in the display screen to reflect rules of the system.