I was thinking about this assigment all week and then tonight it hit me today when I was at the Federal Building.   This building ten years ago when I was in it last didn't have half the technology it does today. 

From when I walked into the building I had to put all my items in a scanner which scanned my purse and items and they showed up on a pc monitor this is for security .   Then I walked thru a metal detector as well which also was for security purposes in today's world security measures like this in a federal building are pretty standard.  

I then had to go to the social security office inside the building and instead of going to wait in a long line I was directed to a automated kiosk.  I then had to select what I was there for and it printed me out a number and a wait time.  I found this great way to sort people by category and wait on them effienctly.  Then On the television it let you know where you were in line and your number would appear on the screen and the window you were supose to go to. 


I from there today had to go to the DMV and they also had a very similar system where you now put what you were there for and it designated you a number and a wait time.   I was in and out of both places quicker then I ever have and this I believe makes life easier for employees and customers.   I also was directed by both places of there online websites which I decided for this assigment to check out.  What I found out is allot of the transactions can be done right online now.  Which also makes for easy access for customers and cuts down on traffic in the local offices. 

Concept Mapping

Concept Mapping I use allot in my job we use a tool called Microsoft Visio to work out concepts and map out ideas in planning sessions.  I work in Health Insurance and we write in my department what is called Standard Operating Procedures and decisions trees.  This software gives us a step by step road map to design to give users a simple flow chart to follow.  Below is a link that shows how the chart look like.   This tool is used allot in our industry we use concept mapping for our call reprsenatives and they can get a step by step process on what to do on various scenarios of a call.   I myself have just started using this tool in the past year and I find it very user friendly.

http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/ATC/Collaboratory/Idea/conceptmaps.pdf

Social Media is the new Network from everything from keeping up with friends and family to a business doing marketing and advertising.  Some argue it is a waste of time for a business but its the most effective means of communication and most cost effective.

Many tools have arisen in the last several years that make it easier for business professionals to maintain an active web presence and still run their businesses. While business people obviously must be careful in using these tools not to detract from the interactive nature of social networking, some posts, articles, and statuses can and should be automated.

Here are the links to the most effective media tools in the business industry:
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/12-social-media-tools-recommended-by-the-pros/

http://12most.com/2012/03/27/social-media-automation-tools-for-business/

Information Designs Steps

The most important first stage in the design of an information systems project is knowing your client and making sure their wants and company information is portrayed the way they want and envision it to be . I would first research the company history, branding information what their mission statement is etc, I would also set up a brainstorming session with managment to get better understanding what their vision is as well.

The next site for a web based project would be a proposed site map , which would give hierarchy of page and site maps etc .

Design concept would be the next step this is where you would come up with the overall design and look of the page. Everything from do you use company colors in layout what kind of layout and how the overall page layout will look and feel.

With a web based page the coding would be the next process in order to have page go live. What coding are you doing use SQL, Cobalt etc. Once that is established you will be able to have page go live and have the domain name set up.

The last thing I would do is make sure a schedule is set up for maintence of site . If updates etc are needed.

Information Systems Theories

To create truly human-centered systems, we need to shift the focus of research and design, to put human actors and the field of practice in which they function at the center of technology development. This will make a significant difference in our ability to harness of the power of computers for an expanding variety of people and activities in which those people will use computers and computer-based technologies.
The term "human-centered" is used by many people in a variety of related but non-identical ways. It is important to understand the consequences of taking a "strong" interpretation of the term, which we recommend. It can be contrasted with "wide" interpretations that may be useful for other groups or contexts.


Basically, in a user-centered approach designers consider, up front, the impact of introducing new technology and automation on the role of people in the system and on the structure of the larger system of which the technology is a part. Human-centered design is not a call for less technology. In contrast it calls for developing technology that is adapted to the characteristics and pressures

This is a strong interpretation of the label "human-centered," and we can characterize this perspective in terms of three basic attributes: Human-centered research and design is problem-driven, activity-centered, and context-bound.
1. Human-centered research and design is problem-driven.
2.Human-centered research and design is activity-centered
3: Human-centered research and design is context-bound.

Information System – the term is a very popular one these days. Everyone is talking about Information System and how this thing is connected or related closely with computer science.

Information Systems bridges the gap between the fast paced business world and the complexity of the computer world. Business people are great at coming up with solutions, but when most business solutions require computers, business people aren’t so great at implementing or creating solutions. This is typically where they hire a computer programmer, but it’s not uncommon for business people and computer programmers not to speak the same language. This is where an Information Systems specialist comes in. They know how to speak business and they also know how to speak “geek” and they translate.


I work in this field in my current postition I am a report analyst for an insurance company.  I use SQL programming language to communicate with our database to creat reporting for our business partners.  I also use Microsoft Visual Studio to automate this reporting and give business partners automatic access to this reporting.