Designing for User Experience

Purpose of UIs and the User Experience

🎯 (CT5-DES-01)

📌 Describe the purpose of user interfaces (UIs) and interactive media and how these affect the user experience (UX)

A user interface (UI) is the part of a product that you see, touch or hear when you use it. Buttons, menus, text boxes, icons and sounds are all parts of a UI.

Interactive media is content that responds to what you do. A quiz that tells you straight away whether you are right is interactive media. So is a game, or a web page with buttons to click. A plain video you can only watch, with no choices about what happens next, is not.

A UI lets you use a product without knowing how it works inside. A microwave’s buttons are a simple example.

User experience (UX) is how a person feels while using a product. Was it easy? Did it do what they needed? Did they enjoy it? The UI shapes all three answers, in three main ways:

• Speed. A clear layout lets you finish a task quickly. A confusing one makes you search for the right button.
• Confidence. Clear feedback, such as “Order sent”, tells you that the system heard you.
• Enjoyment. Pleasant colours and smooth movement can make a product fun. Too much clutter can make it tiring.

How Data Moves Through a UI

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📌 Explore inputs, storage, transmission, processes and outputs in UIs or interactive media

Every UI is part of a larger system. Data moves through five stages. Knowing them helps you see where data can be lost, or seen by the wrong people.

• Input is data that goes in, such as a tap on a menu item.
• Transmission is sending data from one place to another, such as over Wi-Fi or mobile data.
• Storage is keeping data so it can be used later. It can be kept on your phone or on a server, which is a computer that stores data and shares it with other devices.
• Process is what the system does with the data, such as adding up a total or checking stock.
• Output is what the system gives back, such as a message on screen, a sound or a printed ticket.

Functional Requirements and Test Cases

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📌 Specify the functional requirements of a UI or interactive media product, including stating the purpose of a solution, describing use cases and developing test cases of inputs and expected outputs

A functional requirement says what a product must do. Each one should be clear enough to test. Then you can check whether the product does it.

To specify functional requirements, follow four steps:

1. State the purpose. Write one sentence that says why the product exists.
2. Describe a use case. A use case is a short story of one user doing one task, step by step.
3. List the requirements. Number each one, and start it with “The system must”.
4. Write test cases. A test case has an input (what is typed or tapped) and an expected output (what should happen).

Non-Functional Requirements

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📌 Specify the non-functional requirements of a UI or interactive media solution

• Branding and marketing of the solution.
• Minimising cognitive load and physical movement to use the interface.

A non-functional requirement says how well a product should work, or what it should be like. These cover qualities such as cost, appearance and ease of use. They matter as much as functional requirements, but they are harder to test. So write each one so that you can check it.

The syllabus gives two examples. Here is how each could look for the canteen app.

Branding and marketing

Branding is the look and feel that makes a product easy to recognise. It includes the logo, colours, fonts and tone of voice. Marketing is how a product is promoted to the people who might use it. The canteen app might use the school’s logo and colours, so students know it is the official app.

A possible requirement: the home screen must show the canteen logo and use the approved colours. A possible test: open the home screen and compare it with the approved colour and logo list.

Minimising cognitive load and physical movement

Cognitive load is how much thinking a task takes. Physical movement is how many taps, swipes or steps you need. A good UI keeps both low. It shows one main action per screen, uses familiar icons and hides options you do not need yet.

A possible requirement: a student must be able to order a snack from the home screen in four taps or fewer. A possible test: time a new user, and count the taps they use.

Social Impacts and Responsibilities

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📌 Consider the social impacts and ethical and legal responsibilities of UIs or interactive media products

Every UI affects more people than the one tapping it. To consider these effects, sort them into three groups: social impacts, ethical responsibilities and legal responsibilities.

Social impacts

Social impacts are the effects on people and communities. A canteen app may speed up lunch for busy students. But some students may not have a phone, and they could be left out. A social impact can be good, bad or both.

Ethical responsibilities

An ethical responsibility is about doing what is fair and honest, even when no law requires it. A designer should not hide the cancel button to keep people paying. Designers should keep personal information private, and be honest about what the app does with it.

Legal responsibilities

A legal responsibility is something the law requires. In Australia, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles set rules for how many organisations handle personal information. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) explains these rules. The Copyright Act 1968 protects original work, such as images, music and text. You usually need permission, or a licence that allows reuse, before you use that work in a UI.

Reading Terms of Use and EULAs

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📌 Analyse ‘terms of use’ policies and End User License Agreements (EULA) and predict ways in which these can affect attitudes and data protection of individuals and societies

Before you tap “I agree”, a document has already set the rules. A terms of use document sets out what you may and may not do on a website or app. An End User Licence Agreement (EULA) is the agreement for using a piece of software. People usually accept these by ticking a box, and many never read them.

To analyse a terms document, break it into parts, then check each part against questions like these:

Analysing also means predicting. Ask how the terms might change the way people feel about the product, and how they might affect people’s data and the wider community.

Communicating with Diverse Audiences

🎯 (CT5-COM-01, CT5-DES-01, CT5-SAF-01)

📌 Investigate and evaluate the influence of communication methods on an audience, including the perspectives of diverse groups that may include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people of different ages and gender, and people with disability

• Subtitles for people who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing.
• Protocols and permissions for displaying images of Aboriginal people who are deceased.

A message can land well with one group and badly with another. The way information is presented is the communication method, such as text, speech, images, video or sound. The people who receive it are the audience. A diverse audience differs in age, language, culture, gender and ability.

To investigate and evaluate a method, ask who it reaches, who it leaves out, and what would make it fair. Then give a judgement.

Subtitles for people who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing

A canteen video may have sound but no words on screen. A person who is d/Deaf, or hard of hearing, may miss the message. Subtitles are words on screen that show what is said. They also help people who speak another language, or who are in a noisy room.

Images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have died

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have their own rules about sharing images and stories, including some rules about images of people who have died. Do not guess these rules. Ask the community or family first, and get permission before you show an image. The answer may be no, and that answer must be respected. Many images and stories are part of a community’s Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP), so the community may have a say.

Other groups to consider

• Culturally and linguistically diverse people. Offer key messages in more than one language, with simple words and clear pictures.
• People of different ages. Older users may need larger text. Younger users may want short steps.
• People of different gender. Avoid stereotypes, such as showing only men in technical roles.
• People with disability. Add alternative text to images, so a screen reader (software that reads words aloud) can describe them.

Compressing Data: Lossy and Lossless

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📌 Explain simple compression of data and types of compression, including lossy and lossless compression

Compression makes a file smaller, so it takes less storage and can be sent faster. It works by finding repeats or by removing detail. There are two main types.

• Lossless compression makes a file smaller, but the original can be rebuilt exactly. Examples include ZIP folders and PNG images. It suits text and code.
• Lossy compression makes a file smaller by throwing away detail that people may not notice. The copy can never be exactly the same as the original. Examples include JPEG photos and MP3 music.

A lossy example is a photo of a netball team saved as a JPEG. The computer merges shades of colour that look almost the same. You may not notice, but you cannot get the exact original back.

Planning an Iterative Project

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📌 Plan and manage a project using an iterative approach

An iterative approach builds a project in short cycles. Each cycle is called an iteration. In each iteration you set a small goal, build a working part, test it, then review what you learned before planning the next cycle.

A linear plan finishes each stage before the next one starts, so changes are hard to make later. An iterative plan finds problems early, while they are still cheap to fix.

Each iteration has four steps:

1. Plan the goal for this iteration.
2. Build a small working version.
3. Test it with real users or with your test cases.
4. Review what worked, what did not, and what to change next.

To manage the project, keep a task list, a timeline and a record of what you learned. A Gantt chart is a bar chart that shows each task and when it happens.

How User Interfaces Have Evolved

🎯 (CT5-EVL-01, CT5-DES-01)

📌 Explore how UIs or interactive media have evolved in response to people's needs and opportunities

• History of user interfaces, such as punch cards, text, graphical user interfaces (GUI), to gestures and speech.
• Development of input and output technology.
• Intelligent interfaces and virtual assistants.
• Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
• Augmentative and alternative communication (ACC) technology.
• Accessibility features.
• Cyber safety and security, such as biometric authentication.

User interfaces have changed a lot. Each change came from a need, or from a new technology. Looking at this history helps you see why today’s interfaces work the way they do.

From punch cards to screens

Early computers were often programmed with punch cards. These were stiff paper cards with holes in set places, and the machine read the holes. Later, people typed text commands at a prompt. Then graphical user interfaces (GUI) used windows, icons, menus and a pointer that you moved with a mouse.

Gestures, speech and virtual assistants

Touch screens let you swipe and pinch with your fingers. Speech interfaces let you talk to a device. A virtual assistant is a program that responds to spoken or typed requests. Some are intelligent interfaces, which try to work out what you mean.

Tools that help people communicate

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) helps people who find it hard to speak. The syllabus writes this as ACC. Examples include picture boards, symbol books and speech apps that say aloud the words a person chooses.

Accessibility and security

Many devices have accessibility features, such as a screen reader, large text, captions and voice control. Biometric authentication uses a part of your body, such as a fingerprint or face scan, to check who you are. Input and output have changed too, from keyboards to touch screens.

Techniques for Evaluating a UI

🎯 (CT5-DES-01, CT5-DPM-01)

📌 Investigate techniques to evaluate a UI

To investigate a UI, you need ways to find out how well it works for real people. An evaluation technique is a method for gathering that evidence. No single technique tells you everything, so most projects use more than one.

A heuristic is a rule of thumb. A heuristic evaluation checks a UI against a list of these rules, such as “show the user what is happening”.

Design Principles and Issues

🎯 (CT5-DES-01, CT5-THI-01)

📌 Explore design principles and issues relevant to UIs or interactive media

A design principle is a guideline that helps a UI work well for people. Usability experts have written lists of principles. One well-known list was written by Jakob Nielsen. You do not need to memorise a list. You do need to explain a principle, and spot when it is broken.

These principles come up again and again:

• Keep it simple. Show only what a person needs for this step.
• Be consistent. A button that means “Save” should look and work the same on every screen.
• Show what is happening. A loading icon or a “Saved” message tells people the system has responded.
• Let people undo. An Undo option lets people fix a mistake without fear.
• Prevent errors. Grey out the Order button until an item is chosen.
• Do not rely on colour alone. Add a word or an icon, so people who are colour blind can tell the difference.

Issues to watch for

• Clutter. Too many buttons on one screen slow people down.
• Dark patterns. These are tricks that push people into choices they did not mean to make. Examples include a hard-to-find “unsubscribe” link, or a box that is already ticked to sign you up for extras.
• Poor contrast. Pale text on a pale background is hard for many people to read.
• Inconsistent navigation. If the menu moves around, people lose their way.

Reviewing and Reusing Existing UIs

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📌 Evaluate existing UIs and assess their suitability and whether they could be modified or used in other products

Before you design from scratch, look at what already exists. To evaluate an existing UI, decide how well it suits your purpose. Then decide whether you could modify it, or use an idea from it in another product.

Use criteria, and score each one from 1 (poor) to 3 (good). Write one reason for each score:

• Purpose: does it do the job you need?
• Usability: can a new user finish a task without help?
• Accessibility: can people with different needs use it?
• Reuse: can you legally use or adapt it?

Copying an image, some text or code without permission can break copyright. Check the licence first, and credit the creator. Reuse ideas, not exact copies, unless the licence allows it.

Immersive Experiences: AR, MR and VR

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📌 Explore how augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR) create immersive experiences

An immersive experience makes you feel you are inside the action, not just looking at a screen. Three technologies do this in different ways.

• Augmented reality (AR) adds computer-made information to the real world, usually through a phone camera or glasses. For example, directions can be drawn over the view of a street.
• Mixed reality (MR) goes a step further. Virtual objects appear in a real room and can respond to real surfaces, so they seem to sit on a real table.
• Virtual reality (VR) replaces the real view with a simulated world. A headset blocks out the room, and you look around and move through the virtual world.

These experiences work by combining features. A view fits around your eyes. Sound seems to come from a direction. Movement tracking changes the view when you turn your head.

Defining the Problem and Its Users

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📌 Define a real-world problem or need that can be solved by UIs or interactive media, including breaking it down into manageable parts and describing the users of the solution

A problem is something that is wrong or missing, and that people want fixed. A solution is one way to fix it. Define the problem first. “We need an app” is a solution. “Students queue for too long at lunch” is a problem.

Next, decompose the problem. This means breaking it into smaller parts that are easier to understand and solve. Here is a made-up canteen problem, broken into three parts:

• Ordering: students cannot choose their food before they reach the counter.
• Paying: paying at the counter is slow.
• Collecting: students cannot tell when their order is ready.

Then describe the users, the people who will use the solution. A persona is a made-up profile of a typical user. It helps a team design for a real person.

Choosing Between Alternative Designs

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📌 Generate alternative designs and evaluate them against the requirements to select a preferred design

A design is one way of solving the problem. Good designers do not stop at the first idea. They generate alternatives, then compare them with the requirements from Part 1.

To choose a design, follow four steps:

1. Sketch at least three different designs for the same screen.
2. List the requirements that matter most, from your functional and non-functional lists.
3. Score each design against each requirement, from 1 (poor) to 3 (good).
4. Pick the design with the best total, then check that it passes every must-have requirement. If a design fails a must-have, fix the design and score it again.

Designing and Authoring a Product

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📌 Design and author an interactive media product

Interactive media is a product that responds when the user does something. The user might click a button, choose an answer or type a word. A quiz, a choose-your-own-adventure story and an interactive map of a school are all examples.

To design a product means to plan it before you build it. To author it means to build it with a tool. Plan first. A product built without a plan often has screens that nobody needs.

Follow these steps:

1. Set the purpose and audience. Write one sentence, such as “This guide helps Year 7 students find the library’s opening hours.”
2. Plan the screens. List each screen and what it shows.
3. Draw the links. Sketch each screen as a box. Draw an arrow for each button, to show which screen it opens.
4. Author it. Build the screens in a free tool, such as a slideshow program with links between slides, or a free block coding tool.
5. Test and change. Ask a user to try it. Write down what confused them, make one change, then test again.

Building a UI That Is Usable and Accessible

🎯 (CT5-DES-01, CT5-OPL-01, CT5-DPM-01)

📌 Design and implement a UI, UX or interactive media product allowing for functionality, accessibility, usability and aesthetics

A user interface (UI) is the part of a product that people see and touch, such as buttons, text boxes and menus. The user experience (UX) is how a person feels while using it, including how easy and enjoyable it is.

A good UI allows for four things:

• Functionality. The product does what it should. Pressing Send should send the form.
• Accessibility. People with a wide range of needs can use it, including people with disability and people who use a screen reader.
• Usability. The product is easy to learn and use, so a person can finish a task without getting stuck.
• Aesthetics. The product looks pleasing and suits its purpose.

Information Architecture in Practice

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📌 Apply information architecture elements in the development of a product

• Fishbone diagrams: fault-finding in projects.
• Stories: plan user journeys through a website.
• Storyboards: test the fluency of an animation.
• Prototypes: input interfaces.

Information architecture is how a product organises, labels and links its content, so people can find what they need. Menus, headings, page order and the route a user takes are all parts of it.

Fishbone diagrams

A fishbone diagram is a cause-and-effect diagram shaped like a fish skeleton. The head is the problem, such as “the form does not send”. Each bone is a group of possible causes. Use one for fault-finding in a project, and cross off the causes you can rule out.

Stories and user journeys

A user story describes one person doing one thing, and why: “As a parent, I want to see next week’s training time, so I can plan the drive.” A user journey is the screen-by-screen path to finish that story, such as Home, Training, Next week, Add to calendar. If the journey is long, look for a shorter route.

Storyboards

A storyboard is a row of numbered boxes, each with a sketch and notes about the action and timing. To test the fluency of an animation (how smoothly it flows), read the frames in order. Each frame should lead naturally to the next.

Prototypes

A prototype is a trial model that you test before the final product is built. For an input interface, try a paper prototype. Draw each screen on a card, and move the matching card when the user “presses” a button. Watch whether they press the right thing, then change the design.

Privacy and Cybersecurity in Data Collection

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📌 Consider privacy and cybersecurity in collecting and interpreting data

Privacy means that people can decide how their own information is used. Cybersecurity is the protection of computer hardware, software, data and networks. When you collect data, think about both.

In Australia, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) sets rules for handling personal information. The Australian Privacy Principles are part of that Act. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) explains them. Your school may have its own rules too, so check with your teacher.

Before you collect data, ask four questions:

• Need: do we need this detail to answer the question?
• Consent: have people agreed, after being told why it is collected?
• Storage: who can see the data, and where is it kept?
• Time: how long will we keep it, and how will we delete it?

When you interpret data, be careful. A bias is when some people are left out or counted more than others, so the results are unfair or wrong. Ask who is missing from your data. Do not describe a whole group from a small sample.

Specifying Data Ownership and Protection

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📌 Specify what data is collected, who owns it, and how it will be protected

To specify data means to state exactly what you will collect and how you will look after it. “Keep it safe” cannot be checked. A clear specification can.

A data owner is the person or group who decides how the data is used and protected. Ask “who decides?” before you collect anything. The answer might be the school, the club or the teacher. Write your answer down, and check it with your teacher.

If the data is about Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander communities, the community may have a say in how it is collected, owned and used. This idea is called Indigenous Data Sovereignty. It is the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to decide how data about their communities is collected, owned and used. Ask the community for guidance before you start.

Use a table to specify each data item. Here is a made-up example for the lunch survey:

Representing and Storing Data

🎯 (CT5-DAT-02, CT5-DAT-01)

📌 Represent, store and display data to facilitate computation, including selecting appropriate data types, understanding data type limitations and structuring data systematically

Representing data means choosing how it is written in a computer. Storing means keeping it in a file or database. Displaying means showing it to a reader. Good choices make data easy to add up, sort and read.

Each value has a data type. A data type tells the computer what kind of value it is. Pick the type that matches how you will use the data.

A key limitation is the leading zero. Northern Territory postcodes start with 0, and Darwin’s is 0800. If you store 0800 as a number, it becomes 800, and the postcode is now wrong. Store postcodes and phone numbers as text.

# Text keeps the leading zero, because it is stored exactly as typed
postcode_text = "0800"
# A number loses the leading zero, because 0800 is the same number as 800
postcode_number = int("0800")
print(postcode_text)       # 0800
print(postcode_number)     # 800
# A whole number can be added up, so a total can be worked out
tickets_sold = 17
print(tickets_sold + 3)    # 20

Structure the data as a table. Each row is one record, such as one student. Each column is one field, such as year level. Keep one data type in each column. Display formatting, such as showing money with two decimal places, changes how a value looks. It does not change the stored value.

Modelling Entities and Attributes

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📌 Model entities, events and their attributes using structured data

An entity is a thing you store data about, such as a player, a team or a venue. An attribute is a detail about an entity, such as a team’s training day. An event is something that happens at a time, such as a training session.

To model these, make one table for each entity or event. Each row is one record. Each column is one attribute. Give every record a unique ID, a code that no other record has. Names can repeat, so do not use a name as an ID.

Using Specialist Terminology

🎯 (CT5-COM-01)

📌 Select and use specialist terminology in context

Specialist terminology is the set of words that people in a field use to be precise. Designers talk about wireframes and usability. Data analysts talk about validation and data types. These words save time, but only when the reader understands them.

To use a term well, do three things:

1. Select a term that is precise and that your reader will understand.
2. Define it once, in a short phrase, the first time you use it.
3. Use it the same way each time, so the reader is not confused.

Choose words for your reader. A parent may need “a test with real users” more than “usability testing”. A developer will expect the precise term.

Keeping a Project Development Record

🎯 (CT5-COL-01, CT5-DPM-01)

📌 Create a record of project development demonstrating iterative design and evaluation

A project record is a log of what you made, what you tested and what you changed. It shows your thinking over time. It also shows iteration: repeating a cycle of design, test and change, where each cycle builds towards the goal.

Add a new entry at the end of each cycle. Use this layout:

Write each entry as you go, not from memory. Keep the failures too, because a test that went wrong is useful evidence. Link each change to a requirement, such as “the form must save the details”.

Accessing and Collecting Data Safely

🎯 (CT5-DAT-02, CT5-SAF-01)

📌 Access datasets and collect data from users or the environment considering privacy and personally identifying information (PII)

There are two main ways to get data. You can access an existing dataset, which is a collection of data combined for a specific purpose. Or you can collect new data, from people (such as a survey) or from the environment (such as a sensor that records room temperature).

Personally identifying information (PII) is information that can identify a person, such as a full name, home address, phone number or birthday. Keep PII out of your data unless you really need it.

Accessing a dataset

Before you use a dataset, check these points. Where did it come from? Do you have permission to use it? Copyright law may protect a dataset under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), so check its licence. Does it contain PII that you should remove?

Collecting from people

1. Explain the purpose in plain words before you ask anything.
2. Ask only for what you need. Ask for an age group, not a birthday.
3. Let people say no. Make sure nobody feels pressured to answer.
4. Remove identifying details. This is called anonymising, which means changing or removing details so that a person cannot be identified.

Collecting from the environment

A temperature sensor on a windowsill can record the room temperature every hour. This data has no PII. An adult should supervise any hardware you set up, and you should check that the sensor is not recording people.

Validating Data and Its Impact

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📌 Validate data is correct and investigate the impact of invalid data

Validation checks that data follows a rule before it is used. Rules can check that a box is not empty, that a value is a number, and that a number is in a sensible range. Data that breaks a rule is invalid.

Validation does not prove that data is true. A value can pass every check and still be wrong. A student who types 15 when they are 14 passes a range check for ages.

# Made-up rules: the age must be a whole number from 10 to 18
def is_valid_age(text):
    # Presence check: the box must not be empty
    if text.strip() == "":
        return False
    # Type check: every character must be a digit
    if not text.isdigit():
        return False
    # Range check: the number must be from 10 to 18
    age = int(text)
    return 10 <= age <= 18

# Test four typed values
for entry in ["15", "170", "seventeen", ""]:
    print(repr(entry), is_valid_age(entry))

Invalid data can change results. Suppose four ages are typed in: 14, 15, 13 and 170. The 170 should be 17. The average with the typing error is 53. With the correct value, it is about 14.8. A wrong average could lead to a wrong decision, such as buying too many team shirts.

When you investigate the impact of invalid data, look for:

• Wrong results, such as the average above.
• Wrong decisions, made from those results.
• Unfair treatment, such as a person placed in the wrong team.
• Privacy risks, such as a wrong match that shows someone else’s details.

Summarising Data with Spreadsheet Formulas

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📌 Summarise data using a spreadsheet, including complex formulas, aggregate functions and lookup functions

A formula is a calculation in a spreadsheet cell. It starts with an equals sign, such as =SUM(B2:B4). A function is a built-in formula, such as SUM.

An aggregate function combines many values into one, such as a total or an average. Common ones are SUM, COUNT (how many cells hold numbers), AVERAGE, MAX and MIN. A lookup function finds a value in one table and returns a matching value from another. VLOOKUP is a common example.

Here is a made-up canteen example. The Prices sheet lists each item and its price. The Sales sheet lists how many of each item were sold.

Filtering, Grouping and Sorting Data

🎯 (CT5-DAT-02)

📌 Filter, group and sort data using a spreadsheet, including applying filters and sorting, using conditional formatting and grouping, and aggregating data using pivot tables

Filtering hides the rows you do not need, so you see only the rows that match a rule. Sorting puts rows in order, such as largest to smallest. Conditional formatting changes how a cell looks, such as its colour, when a rule is met. A pivot table groups rows by a category and totals them.

Add a column called Type to the canteen sheet. Toastie and Muffin are Food. Juice is Drink.

Menu names differ between spreadsheet programs. Look in the Insert, Data or Format menus, or search the help for “pivot table” or “conditional formatting”.

Dashboards, Predictions and Decisions

🎯 (CT5-DAT-02, CT5-COM-01)

📌 Present data and make predictions and decisions using a spreadsheet, including creating a data dashboard or report in a spreadsheet, decision formulas and optimisation

A dashboard is a one-page summary. It shows the key numbers and one or two charts, so a reader can see the main points quickly. A report explains the data in more words. Both help people make decisions.

A decision formula gives an answer based on a rule. The IF function is the common one: =IF(condition, result if true, result if false). Suppose column E holds the stock left for each item. The formula =IF(E2<10,"Reorder","OK") shows “Reorder” when fewer than 10 are left.

A prediction is an estimate of what will happen next, based on past data. Juice sales were 15, 18 and 21 over three days. Their average is 18, so a simple prediction for the next day is about 18 juices. This is only an estimate. A hot day or a sports carnival could change it.

Optimisation means choosing the option with the best result. Plan A keeps the toastie at 4.50 and earns 108.00. Plan B raises the toastie to 5.00. If toastie sales stay at 12, Plan B earns 114.00. A formula such as =MAX(C2,C3) picks the higher total. But if the higher price makes sales fall, the result changes, so test the plan before you choose it.

Visualising Trends and Outliers

🎯 (CT5-DAT-02, CT5-COM-01)

📌 Visualise data to identify trends and outliers using a range of tools

A chart turns numbers into a picture, so patterns are easier to see. A trend is a pattern over time, such as sales slowly going up. An outlier is a value that sits far away from the rest.

Choose the chart that fits your question:

• Line chart: best for trends over time, such as weekly sales.
• Bar chart: best for comparing categories, such as sales for each item.
• Scatter plot: best for checking whether two numbers are related, such as study time and test score.

Evaluating Your Own and Peers' Projects

🎯 (CT5-DPM-01, CT5-COL-01)

📌 Evaluate their own project and that of their peers using the previously developed functional and non-functional requirements

To evaluate means to judge something against clear criteria, using evidence. Your criteria are the requirements you wrote at the start of the project. A functional requirement says what the product must do. A non-functional requirement says how well it must do it, such as how quickly or how easily.

Build a table with one row for each requirement. Test each one, rate it, and write down the evidence. Use these three ratings:

• Met: the requirement works fully, as written.
• Partly met: some of the requirement works, and some does not.
• Not met: none of the requirement works, or it is missing.

A limit, such as “three taps or fewer”, is either met or not met. Use Partly met only for a requirement that has several parts.

When you evaluate a peer’s project, give feedback that is kind, specific and useful. Use three parts: one thing that works, one clear suggestion and one question. Evaluate the product, not the person.

Evaluating Responsibilities and Security

🎯 (CT5-SAF-01, CT5-DPM-01)

📌 Evaluate whether solutions meet social, ethical and legal responsibilities and cybersecurity principles

Earlier in this topic you looked at social, ethical and legal responsibilities. Now you judge whether a finished product meets them. Ask one question for each group:

• Social: who could be left out, or harmed, by this product?
• Ethical: is it fair, honest and respectful to every user?
• Legal: does it handle personal information in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)? Does it use images, music or text only with permission or a licence? The Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) usually requires this, so check with your teacher if you are unsure.

Cybersecurity principles help keep data and systems safe. Three of them are:

• Confidentiality: only the right people can see the data.
• Integrity: the data stays accurate, and only the right people can change it.
• Availability: the product works when people need it.

Testing a UI for Usability

🎯 (CT5-DES-01, CT5-DPM-01)

📌 Test and evaluate a UI to improve usability of an interactive media product

Usability is how easy a product is to learn and use. A usability test watches real people try to finish tasks, which are jobs such as “find the opening hours”. Usability is often described in five parts: easy to learn, efficient to use, easy to remember, few errors, and pleasant to use.

Plan the test in six steps:

1. Set a goal. For example, “Can a new user find the opening hours without help?”
2. Choose two or three participants. Ask permission first. Use codes such as P1 and P2 in your notes, not names.
3. Write three tasks. Say what to achieve, not how. “Find out when the library opens on Friday” is good. “Tap Home, then Hours” is not, because it gives the answer away.
4. Choose what to measure. Record whether the task was finished, how long it took and how many wrong taps happened.
5. Run the test. Ask the participant to think aloud. Watch quietly. Do not help unless they are stuck, and write down when you helped.
6. Change and retest. Fix the most common problem first, then test again with new participants.

Testing a UI for Efficiency

🎯 (CT5-DES-01, CT5-DPM-01)

📌 Test and evaluate a UI to improve overall efficiency

Efficiency means reaching a goal with little wasted effort or time. In a UI, effort can be counted in taps, clicks or key presses. Time is measured on a clock. A screen can look simple and still be slow to use.

To test efficiency:

1. Choose one common task, such as ordering a toastie and a juice.
2. Count the taps or clicks from the start screen to the end.
3. Time the task three times, then find the average.
4. Change one thing, then count and time again.

Evaluating How a UI Conveys Information

🎯 (CT5-COM-01, CT5-DES-01)

📌 Evaluate the functionality of the UI to convey information to a variety of audiences

A UI conveys information well when people understand what it says and know what to do next. Evaluate this for each audience, not just for yourself. Ask four questions:

• Clear? Are the words short and plain? Does each button say what it does?
• Accessible? Can people who use a screen reader, who cannot see colour well, or who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing still get the message? Subtitles help the last group.
• Respectful? Does the content respect the people shown and the communities they belong to?
• Useful? Does the screen show the right information when the audience needs it?

If your UI shows images or stories of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, including people who have died, ask the community for guidance first. Do not guess what is appropriate.

Careers in UI Design and Media

🎯 (CT5-EVL-01)

📌 Explore careers in UI design or interactive media

Many jobs use the skills in this topic. Some people design screens. Others study how people use products, or check that products work for everyone. Here are some roles to explore:

• UI designer: plans how screens look, and how buttons and menus are laid out.
• UX researcher: finds out what users need, and tests whether a product meets that need.
• Accessibility specialist: checks that products can be used by people with a wide range of needs.
• Multimedia designer or animator: makes interactive media, animations and video.
• Front-end developer: builds the parts of a website or app that people see and use.

Ways to explore a career:

• Talk to a careers adviser at your school.
• Ask someone who works with screens about their day, with their permission.
• Read official careers information from Australian government sources.