Herbal Medicine Essay Example for Free

Herbal Medicine Essay Anything that exists on the earth has a need for survival. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), herbal medicines refers to health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses or to maintain well-being. Different types of herbal medicines are widely applied in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to meet primary health-care needs. Herbal medicines have maintained its popularity in most regions of the developing world. The application is also rapidly spreading in industrialized countries. Worldwide, among all the different traditional medicine systems, Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is currently the most popular, followed by Indian medicine. Herbal medicine refers to using a plants seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes. Herbalism has a long tradition of use outside of conventional medicine. It is also called botanical medicine or phytomedicine. It is becoming more main stream as improvements in analysis and quality control along with advances in clinical research show the value of herbal medicine in the treating and preventing disease. Herbal medicine is used to treat many conditions, such as asthma, eczema, premenstrual syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine, menopausal symptoms, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, and cancer, among others. Herbal supplements are best taken under the guidance of a trained health care provider. Recently, the World Health Organization estimated that 80% of people worldwide rely on herbal medicines for some part of their primary health care. In Germany, about 600 700 plant based medicines are available and are prescribed by some 70% of German physicians. In the past 20 years in the United States, public dissatisfaction with the cost of prescription medications, combined with an interest in returning to natural or organic remedies, has led to an increase in herbal medicine use. Whenever a culture attempts to assimilate alien ideas, social stresses are bound to occur, especially when such ideas threaten the dominion of major economic and political interests. Mistakes are likely to arise while attempting to implement these ideas. In the case of Chinese herbal knowledge, its use by people unfamiliar with its rules and protocols invariably leads to mishaps; either the herbs or formulas fail to work as expected, or worse, side effects may result whenever herbs are used in contraindicated conditions. In the political and economic realms, government regulators unfamiliar with the unique characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine may impose restrictions upon Chinese herbal practice that inhibit its effective application and suffocate its future development within our culture. The effectiveness of modern herbal practice suggests that we begin our search by understanding the complete meaning of herbalism. Herbs are grown and collected from all over the world. There is nothing magical about an herb; effective medicinal herbs can be found everywhere that plants grow. There is indeed a necessity in making life better by introducing natural herbal dietary supplements in the country. Within the past decade, herbal medicine has gained increasing importance, with both medical and economic implications. In developing countries particularly, as much as 80percent of the indigenous population still depends on traditional systems of medicine and medicinal plants for healthcare. Some common herbs and their uses are discussed below. * Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) has been used in traditional medicine to treat circulatory disorders and enhance memory. Although not all studies agree, ginkgo may be especially effective in treating dementia (including Alzheimers disease) and intermittent claudication (poor circulation in the legs). * Kava kava (Piper methysticum) is said to elevate mood, enhance well-being and contentment, and produce a feeling of relaxation. Several studies have found that kava may be useful in the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, and related nervous disorders. * Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is used by more than 2 million men in the United States for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. A number of studies suggest that the herb is effective for treating symptoms, including frequent urination, having trouble starting or maintaining urination, and needing to urinate during the night. * Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a popular alternative to commonly prescribed medications for sleep problems because it is considered to be both safe and gentle. * Echinacea preparations (from Echinacea purpurea and other Echinacea species) may improve the bodys natural immunity. Echinacea is one of the most commonly used herbal products, but studies are mixed as to whether it can help prevent or treat colds. We chose to have a research study on this topic because I think this can be a way of spreading awareness among people that there can be cheaper way of treating from upset stomachs to headaches. They are also considered natural and therefore healthier and gentler than conventional drugs. So, why is there need to spend so much on expensive drugs uselessly when there is a better option.

Analysis Of Change Initiative At Toyota Motor Corporation Management Essay

Analysis Of Change Initiative At Toyota Motor Corporation Management Essay Over the past several decades change management has become one of the mostly discussed topics across different industries on the market. The importance of change management has turn out to be a crucial task for managers and leaders of not only the big global corporations but also small and medium sized enterprises. Research suggests that the change management is fundamental issue that has to be considered especially when it comes to introducing and adjusting new strategies and policies that will influence the companys future perspectives and developments. It is essential part of the long-term competitive success formula (Pettigrew and Whipp, 1991). Although many research findings imply that change management can be defined in different ways depending on the industry and the company, there is a common ground on which the perceptions of the roles of the managers are build on. It is argued that people are the main drivers of change and innovation in the competitive environment of the business world. For this reason, human resources departments play a major role in choosing the right people for the right position and train and develop their employees to become goal and future oriented. Findings suggest that in order for a company to have a successful change management implementation, human resources managers have to be able to cope with both transformation and change within a single company (Urlich, 1997). According to Urlich (1997) transformation entails fundamental cultural change within a firmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦HR managers managing transformation become both cultural guardians and cultural catalysts. Since nowadays many companies operate on a global scale, the main issue in managing transformation is to lead the company through adaptation and acceptance of new culture without influencing the old beliefs and values. On the other hand change is usually related to introducing a certain degree of newness to the company, starting from employing new employees up to introducing new strategies and reshaping the overall corporate culture, mission, and vision of a company. More precisely change can be considered to be interrelated with transformation. It is defined as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the ability of an organization to improve the design and implementation of initiatives and to reduce cycle time in all organizational activities (Urlich, 1997). In order for a change to be enacted and successfully accepted within a company, it is argued that change has to happen at three different levels 1) organizational, 2) team and 3) individual. When the new strategies and initiatives are accepted at all of the three levels, the implementation of change is successful (Hirtz, 2008). In order to have a successful change management implementation across the different levels of processes within a single company, research findings emphasize on the importance of having change agents. According to some historical data on human resources, the main drivers for change within a company were considered to be the human resource managers (Urlich, 1997). Being a global company inflicted with differences among the team members, individuals, and the overall organizational structure, the role of the change managers have changed over the years. It is claimed that nowadays the managers and the leaders at all levels within a single company are obliged to assert the need for change and its productive implementation. They are the key to successful understanding of cultural, social, political, and legal differences and the main drivers of motivation to the company as a whole (Hartley et al., 1997). In todays business world companies are striving to achieve a high level of change management implementation. In order to do so, an important factor that has to be taken into consideration is the time scale and planning. According to Caudwell (2004), a successful change management should be carefully planned and it should consist of an identified beginning and an ending that will provide desirable outcomes. However, research suggests that during the change implementation, managers often forget to go back and look at the results that they get at the very beginning of the process, which is the reason why many companies failed to transform and change according to their initial plans. For this reason, findings imply that the change management has to be perceived not as a one-time implementation project, but as an on-going, long-term and future oriented strategy (Caudwell, 2004). Lewins Force Field Analysis Model More than fifty years ago Kurt Lewin, using his experience in social psychology and human behavior, developed the widely known force field analysis model in order to explain how changes can happen within a single company. The force field analysis model, or also known as the 3-step model was primarily developed to help change managers identify the so called driving (or external) and restraining (or internal-individual and group behavior) forces that might influence the change within a single company (Burns, 2004a). In order for a successful and effective change to happen, Lewin proposed that there are three stages that every company and the individuals and groups being part of that environment should go through. Graphical depiction of the model is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 Note: Table is taken from http://rapidbi.com/management/kurt-lewin-three-step-change-theory/ The first stage is the so-called unfreezing stage where the current situation should be carefully analyzed by producing disequilibrium between the driving and the restraining forces. By identifying the field- term referring to the current individual attitudes and beliefs within a group change agents are ready to move on, from the so-called status quo position, into the next stage called the move or change stage (Burnes, 2004a). At this point change managers are required to develop a plan that will initiate the urge for change among their employees. The change agents are expected to influence their employees and initiate acceptance and adaptation to the new processes, by strongly focusing on motivation and support. Finally, the third and the last stage is the so called refreezing stage where the role of the change managers is to successfully implement the change strategy (in terms of norms, practices, policies, and culture) and make sure that these newly accepted changes are not subj ect to deterioration (Burnes, 2004b) Even though Lewins model is one of the most widely used contributors to understanding the change management within a company, there are some critics that have been developed over the past fifty years. Research suggests that the implication of the model is useful in identifying the need, the type, and the resources needed to implement a certain degree of change within a company. It implies that the change occurs only at the times when the need for change is identified and that, once the individuals beliefs and attitudes are influenced and the social conflict is resolved, the change is accepted as a positive influence (Greener and Hughes, 2006). Findings propose that the model is based on simplistic assumptions that the companies operate as static and mechanistic environments and that the change would follow a clear pattern (Burnes, 2004a). Victor and Franckeiss (2002) suggest that in todays highly globalized and highly competitive business world, influenced by the differences in cultures, economies, and politics, change management is a phenomenon that occurs constantly and is planned, revised and updated on a regular basis. It is considered to be a must-do element of their day-to-day activities, and their future growth and expansion plans (Victor and Franckeiss, 2002). Analysis of change initiative at Toyota Toyota Motor Corporation is a multinational corporation with its headquarters located in Toyota city and Tokyo- Japan and it is the worlds leading automaker. Since its establishment in 1937, the company has successfully managed to expand globally entering the US market in 1957, Asia, Middle East, and China in 1962, and Europe and Africa in 1987. Today Toyota has its overseas bases in 27 countries and regions, as well as 52 production bases and 8 overseas offices. Toyota employs approximately 320,808 employees in their directly affiliated companies around the globe not counting the substantial number of indirectly employed dealers and suppliers. One of the main differentiation strategies of the company is that they managed to keep the same organizational culture and strategy throughout the years of their existence. The company has their own Guiding Principles at Toyota and the Five Main Principles of Toyoda that have been successfully implemented in every Toyota subsidiary, factory, a nd even among their dealers and suppliers. The main purpose of their principles is to keep their stakeholders motivated and prompt to change at any time (Toyota, 2010). More detailed information on the Toyota principles can be found in Figure 2. Figure 2 Guiding Principles at Toyota Honor the language and spirit of the law of every nation and undertake open and fair corporate activities to be a good corporate citizen of the world. Respect the culture and customs of every nation and contribute to economic and social development through corporate activities in the communities. Dedicate ourselves to providing clean and safe products and to enhancing the quality of life everywhere through all our activities. Create and develop advanced technologies and provide outstanding products and services that fulfill the needs of customers worldwide. Foster a corporate culture that enhances individual creativity and teamwork value, while honoring mutual trust and respect between labor and management. Pursue growth in harmony with the global community through innovative management. Work with business partners in research and creation to achieve stable, long-term growth and mutual benefits, while keeping ourselves open to new partnerships. Five Main Principles of Toyoda Always be faithful to your duties, thereby contributing to the Company and to the overall good. Always be studious and creative, striving to stay ahead of the times Always be practical and avoid frivolousness. Always strive to build a homelike atmosphere at work that is warm and friendly. Always have respect for God, and remember to be grateful at all times. Note: Table is taken from the official web page of Toyota Motor Corporation. Since the birth of Toyota, the companys philosophy has been based on successfully contributing to the society, meaning identifying the local cultural and social differences and creating products that will satisfy the needs and wants of the local customers all around the world. Throughout the years the company has managed to keep up with its corporate principle of delivering glocal products by creating a business model that is mainly a mixture of localization for their global markets (Toyota, 2010). Although keeping their unique corporate culture and values, and implementing the same business strategies and principles of doing business all around the globe, they have managed to differentiate and bring innovativeness to the international markets. The key behind this success is in the regiocentric management orientation. The company has effectively managed to spot the differences and similarities in the home and host countries and develop local view that allowed them to bring changes into their company, starting with the development of few global names of their products with localization content, and developing special training and support programs that will sustain the cultural differences and will allow their new employees to merge with the company much easier (Toyota, 2010). Toyota is one of the worlds widely known companies not only because of their successful business plan that has been implemented at home and overseas, but also because of their revolutionary change that made their management strategy stay the same over the years. By developing the Toyota Production System or TPS which is the method of managing people engaged in work that emphasizes frequent rapid problem solving and work redesign, the company has set the global model for successful performance and productivity (Thompson et al, 2003). The model was originally developed in the 1970s and it was mainly used to facilitate production and improve the speed. Over the last several decades the model was widely accepted by many companies operating in different industries. The reason behind the adoption of the model lies in the efforts of Toyota to bring constant change through experimenting and applying new concepts to the already existing processes (Spear, 2004). But what is the main drive behind successfully applying the TPS strategy? According to Parks (2002) Toyota has been the only company that has managed to apply the process without facing major failures. He claims that for introducing such innovative approach, the whole organizational culture and management should undergo the necessary changes. At Toyota the changes always start with their stakeholders. All the ideas and possible solutions to the existing problems are generated from their employees from all over the world. The solutions are discussed and are implemented as part of their experimental processes after which the final assessment is done. After the decision is made, extensive cross-functional training programs are inducted in order to have productive multifunctional workers who will understand the processes and the implementation of the new strategies. In order to get the desired results, strong change management is needed that will provide guidance and will result in disci plined and effective implementation of the change strategies (Parks, 2002). Having a strong management that promotes open and fair corporate activities involving all of the companys employees, introducing diversity programs that support the different cultural backgrounds, and following a clear set of rules (The Code of Conduct) enacted by extensive on-site training activities, is the key factor for success of Toyotas change management processes and strategies (Toyota, 2010). Conclusion Although the importance of having an effective change management has been introduced more than five decades ago, it seems that in todays business world its significance and implementation has a greater influence and application among the companies operating in different industries. Globalization and internationalization had significantly influenced the companies to embrace the change management strategies. Operating on different markets around the world requires compliance with the local cultures, economies, and politics which are the main factors for success of an international company. The main issue is to manage to create synergies between the home business strategy and corporate culture and the host- local cultures and procedures. Although it might seem like a logical transformation that has to be done, without implementing strong change management policies that will be based on the differences and similarities of the markets and the people, administering change can turn out to b e one of the most difficult processes. Following the example of Toyota, in order to have efficient change management teams and change strategies that would be accepted within a company, managers should stress out the importance of all of their employees. By becoming part of the problem solving and decision making processes, managers would get the opportunity to understand the cultural backgrounds of their employees and eliminate the factors that might influence their behavior. On the other hand the employees would feel involved and motivated and the implementation of the possible changes would result in positive outcomes. This is the reason why over the years Toyota has managed to keep the same organizational culture and strategy, yet always being able to bring innovativeness and set benchmark for other companies on the market to follow.

The mechanical and electromagnetic wave

The mechanical and electromagnetic wave Introduction A wave is a moving disturbance that transports energy from one place to another without transporting matter. Any wave is characterized as sort of disturbance that travels away form its sources. There are two examples of waves, mechanical waves and electromagnetic waves. Mechanical waves travelling through a material medium, such as water waves, sound waves and the seismic waves caused by earthquakes. Particles in the medium are disturbed from their equilibrium positions as the wave passes, returning to their equilibrium positions after the wave passed. Electromagnetic wave such as radio waves and light waves which has the disturbance consists of oscillating electromagnetic fields. Two of our five human senses are wave detectors: the ear is sensitive to the tiny fluctuations in air pressure caused by compression waves in air, which is sound whereas the eye is sensitive to electromagnetic waves in a certain frequency length that is light. (Richardson 2004). The examples of mechanical wave and electromagnetic wave Mechanical wave One of the examples of mechanical wave is sound wave.How does a sound wave be created? First, the disturbance from one location to another which carried by any medium. By far, the most familiar case is sound in a gas such as air. Second, there is a unique source of the wave. The vibrating object which creates the disturbance could be the string of a violin or guitar, vocal chords of a person, tuning fork, etc. Third way is particle-to-particle-interaction. If the sound wave is moving through the air, it will pull or push its nearest neighbors, causing a disturbance of its nearest neighbors. (National Science Digital Library Science, 2003). Besides, seismic wave is an example of mechanical wave. Seismic wave is a result of an earthquake, explosion or some others process that give out force. There are several different kinds of seismic waves, and they all move in different ways. There are two main types of seismic waves; they are body wavesandsurface waves. Body waves propagate into the body of the Earth. On the other hand, surface waves can only move along the surface of the Earth. Those are similar to water waves on the surface of a lake. Earthquakes radiate seismic energy as both body and surface waves. (Michele, n.d.). Seismic waves carry energy released by an earthquake to other parts of the Earth, sometimes with devastating results. Electromagnetic waves   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are lot types of electromagnetic waves. The one of the examples, radio waves which is used to carry conventional radio and television signals as well as signals for some cell phones and pagers. In addition, microwaves, X-Rays and gamma rays are also types of the electromagnetic spectrum. Microwaves in ovens carry energy from their source to the food. (Richardson 2004). Gamma rays are not only produced in nuclear power plants and the Sun, but also reach the Earth from the sources outside our solar system. The radiation people are able to detect by eyes falls into the rather narrow frequency range. This radiation is called visible light. Proceeding to frequencies above the range of visible light is ultraviolet light. The tragedy caused by wave The earthquake struck in Hanshin is caused by seismic waves which was the worse to hit Japan since the great Kanto earthquake of 1923. The 7.2-magnitude GreatHanshinEarthquake of 1995 hit the Kobe area at 5:46 a.m. on Tuesday, January 17, leaving in its wake more than 5200 deaths, 30,000 injured, 300,000 homeless, and 110,000 buildings damaged. (Fukushima 1995). How did the earthquake cause great devastation at locations many kilometers away? Seismic waves travel away from the focus of an earthquake both through the Earth (body waves) and along the Earths crust (surface waves), transporting vibrations and energy. However, the material through which the waves travel is not transported. Most earthquake damage is caused by seismic waves rather than caused by fault movement. In the Hanshin earthquake, damage to the buildings was caused by seismic waves at distances over 100km from the epicenter, but the motion of the vibrating particles in the ground never moved than about 1.5m. (Giambattista 2004) Optical phenomena (Atmospheric optics) The unique wave properties of the atmosphere cause a wide range of spectacular optical phenomena. One common example would be therainbow, when light from the sun is reflected and refracted by water droplets. Some, such as thegreen ray and Fata Morgana are so rare they are sometimes thought to be mythological.(John 2006) Why is the sky blue and not violet? The Rayleigh scattering of light by molecules in the atmosphere gets stronger as the wavelength decreases. We have claimed that this scattered of light gives the sky its blue light, so why isnt the sky violet instead? Two factors combine to make the sky blue instead of violet. First, the Sun emits more strongly in the blue than in the violet range (according to Fig.1). Second, peoples eyes are more sensitive to blue light to violet light. Hence, even though violet light scattered more strongly than blue light, people still perceive the sky is blue. (Nicholas, n.d.) Wiens Law: Hotter objects emit most of their radiation at shorterwavelengths; hence they will appear to bebluer. Cooler objects emit most of their radiation atlonger wavelengths; hence they will appear to beredder.

Marx’s Views on Religion vs. My Own Essay -- Psychology Religion Essay

Marx’s Views on Religion vs. My Own Karl Marx wrote that religion was, â€Å"an opiate of the people.† Although those words were not published in The German Ideology, they best describe his various views on religion. Marx wrote that there was a social relationship between the upper class or bourgeoisie and religion. The upper class that owned the means of production used religion as a tool to keep the working class or proletariat, oppressed and poor. Marx criticized that religion had so many ulterior motives that there was no actual spiritual meaning. He argued that religion existed because of the state of society and its class struggles. The existence of religion also helped limit or avoid change in society. Marx also believed that religion stripped us of our true humanity. â€Å"It is self-evident, moreover, that "specters", "bonds", "the higher being", "concept", "scruple", are merely the idealistic, spiritual expression, the conception apparently of the isolated individual, the image of very empirical fetters and limitations, within which the mode of production of life and the form of intercourse coupled with it move (51).† God or any higher power was something invented to deposit fear into. God was something to blame for our own inefficiencies and failures. He also wrote that humans give too much credit to God for their own accomplishments. Marx viewed everything as a human invention. The struggle between the working class and ruling class along with capitalism i...

Wolff’s View on Feminine Sexuality in Chopin’s The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening

Wolff’s View on Feminine Sexuality in Chopin’s The Awakening In her essay â€Å"Un-Utterable Longing: The Discourse of Feminine Sexuality in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening† Cynthia Griffin Wolff sees the lack of a language—for Edna Pontellier’s sexual desires in particular and female sexuality in general—as the main theme in Chopin’s novel. She particularly looks at how issues of sexuality remain unsaid in the novel, or how they are expressed in a different way, because of the lack of a language of feminine sexuality. As Ross C Murfin points out in his introduction to this essay, Wolff combines several theoretical perspectives such as feminism, gender studies, new historicism, psychoanalytic criticism, and deconstruction (376). Wolff introduces her thesis in her initial discussion of the opening passage of The Awakening stressing the fact that the parrot has no language of its own. She remarks that â€Å"there is a sense of enigma (or fraud) about this bird who seems able to communicate but is not† (376). Similarly the main character Edna Pontellier can’t communicate her needs. The first part of Wolff’s essay is a six-page assessment of the image of women current at the end of the nineteenth century showing the lack of a language for intimacy and sexuality. She looks specifically at the work of William Acton, an author widely read at the time. According to him women didn’t have sexual feelings of any kind; hence he saw no reason to talk about those issues. Wolff criticizes that this false image of women as a-sexual beings created by writers such as Acton also mislead the men of that time in their perception of women. Wolff argues that a â€Å"vernacular of ‘motherhood’† (386) replaced the missing language of intimacy and sexuality. In this context she refers to the passage when Là ©once comes home, Edna rejects his advances, and instead of reproaching her of neglecting her marital duties, he blames her for not taking care of the children. Là ©once turns the disappointment of the rejection into a reproach of neglected moth erly duties. According to Wolff, the true subject of Chopin’s novel, â€Å"may be less the particular dilemma of Mrs. Pontellier than the larger problems of female narrative that it reflects; and if Edna’s poignant fate is in part a reflection of her own habits, it is also, in equal part, a measure of society’s failure to allow its women a language of their own† (388).

Literary Analysis: The Omnivore’s Dilemma Essay

In Michael Pollan’s, The Omnivores Dilemma everything we eat is somehow derived from corn. Dating back to the day of the Mayans when they were sometimes referred to as â€Å"the corn people† (Pollan 19). Pollan takes us back to the â€Å"beginning† of the industrial food chain. In The Omnivores Dilemma historical context, ideology, and setting do not do the reader justice in opening their eyes to the harsh reality that without the corn industry eating as we know it today would cease to exist. The use of historical context in The Omnivores Dilemma insufficiently details the actual origin of corn. Per Pollan’s writing he explains that â€Å"Squanto taught the Pilgrims to plant maize in 1621†¦.. † (Pollan 25), but the existence of corn dates way back much further than 1621. In a 1948 excavation of Bat Cave, New Mexico by then student of anthropology at Harvard University, Herbert W. Dick found small cobs of corn at the bottom of Bat Caves floor which were estimated to contain maize that had their beginning no later than 2000 B. C. (Mangelsdorf 148). Many different types of test have been used to determine how old the corn plant is, but only with solid evidence provided by archeologists has there been any real way to argue the actual evolution of corn. It is more than evident having conducted my own research about the origin and historical context of corn that Pollan merely â€Å"touched† on the subject matter of, where corn came from. In this day and age with many households having both the husband and wife, or single parent households, or just because of mere laziness, society as a whole doesn’t put as much thought into what we consume as they use to. For the most part what we consume is what is most convenient at the time we are hungry, but little do most of us know what it really is that we are eating†¦.. corn. As Pollan so bluntly states, â€Å"†¦. At the end of the food chain (which is to say at the beginning), I invariably found myself in almost exactly the same place: a farm field in the American corn belt† (Pollan 18) Practically everything we eat has corn in it or has been fed corn, and has been chemically altered before it reaches us. Everything from yogurt, chicken mcnuggets, and even beef contain corn of some form. Per one article, â€Å"Pollan wants us to know what it is we’re eating, where it came from, and how it got to our table†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (The Wall Street Journal), only that even after having read The Omnivores Dilemma I still had questions, questions Pollan failed to address in his book. The only remotely interesting part of Pollan’s book is the setting; various corn farms. Though interesting it still insufficiently addressed many facts. In my opinion it would have been appropriate to add that in the U. S. alone there are over 400,000 corn farms and that the U. S. s the largest corn producer in the world, producing 32 percent of the world’s corn in the year 2010 ( www. ncga. com www. epa. gov). According to the National Corn Growers Association a good 80 percent of corn grown is eaten by both domestic and overseas livestock, poultry, and even fish. Also according to the NCGA Americans eat 25 pounds of corn a year. (www. ncga. com). Pollan details how corn travels â€Å"About a fifth of the corn river flowing out from the elevators at the Iowa Farmer’s Cooperative travels to a milling plant†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Pollan 86), but epically fails of informing us of the â€Å"bigger picture†. In conclusion, I found that by simply doing a little research on my own in the library or by searching online, not only could I find a wide range of actually interesting information on the ever so popular corn industry, but I wouldn’t fall asleep doing so as I did on more than one occasion trying to read The Omnivores Dilemma. The Omnivores Dilemma is not a book I personally would ever read again. Nor would I recommend it.

Heuristic Evaluation

Usability Techniques Heuristic Evaluation – A System Checklist| By Deniese Pierotti, Xerox Corporation Heuristic Evaluation – A System Checklist 1. Visibility of System Status The system should always keep user informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 1. 1| Does every display begin with a title or header that describes screen contents? | O O O|   | 1. 2| Is there a consistent icon design scheme and stylistic treatment across the system? | O O O|   | 1. 3| Is a single, selected icon clearly visible when surrounded by unselected icons? O O O|   | 1. 4| Do menu instructions, prompts, and error messages appear in the same place(s) on each menu? | O O O|   | 1. 5| In multipage data entry screens, is each page labeled to show its relation to others? | O O O|   | 1. 6| If overtype and insert mode are both available, is there a visible indication of which one the user is in? | O O O|   | 1. 7| If pop-up windows are used to display error messages, do they allow the user to see the field in error? | O O O|   | 1. 8| Is there some form of system feedback for every operator action? | O O O|   | 1. | After the user completes an action (or group of actions), does the feedback indicate that the next group of actions can be started? | O O O|   | 1. 10| Is there visual feedback in menus or dialog boxes about which choices are selectable? | O O O|   | 1. 11| Is there visual feedback in menus or dialog boxes about which choice the cursor is on now? | O O O|   | 1. 12| If multiple options can be selected in a menu or dialog box, is there visual feedback about which options are already selected? | O O O|   | 1. 13| Is there visual feedback when objects are selected or moved? | O O O|   | 1. 4| Is the current status of an icon clearly indicated? | O O O|   | #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 1. 15| Is there feedback when function keys are pressed ? | O O O|   | 1. 16| If there are observable delays (greater than fifteen seconds) in the system’s response time, is the user kept informed of the system's progress? | O O O|   | 1. 17| Are response times appropriate to the task? | O O O|   | 1. 18| Typing, cursor motion, mouse selection: 50-1 50 milliseconds| O O O|   | 1. 19| Simple, frequent tasks: less than 1 second| O O O|   | 1. 20| Common tasks: 2-4 seconds| O O O|   | 1. 1| Complex tasks: 8-12 seconds| O O O|   | 1. 22| Are response times appropriate to the user's cognitive processing? | O O O|   | 1. 23| Continuity of thinking is required and information must be remembered throughout several responses: less than two seconds. | O O O|   | 1. 24| High levels of concentration aren't necessary and remembering information is not required: two to fifteen seconds. | O O O|   | 1. 25| Is the menu-naming terminology consistent with the user's task domain? | O O O|   | 1. 26| Does the system provide  v isibility:  that is, by looking, can the user tell the state of the system and the alternatives for action? O O O|   | 1. 27| Do GUI menus make obvious which item has been selected? | O O O|   | 1. 28| Do GUI menus make obvious whether deselection is possible? | O O O|   | 1. 29| If users must navigate between multiple screens, does the system use context labels, menu maps, and place markers as navigational aids? | O O O|   | 2. Match Between System and the Real World The system should speak the user’s language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order. | Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 2. 1| Are icons concrete and familiar? | O O O|   | 2. 2| Are menu choices ordered in the most logical way, given the user, the item names, and the task variables? | O O O|   | 2. 3| If there is a natural sequence to menu choices, has it been used? | O O O|   | 2. 4| Do related and interdependent fields appear on the same screen? | O O O|   | 2. 5| If shape is used as a visual cue, does it match cultural conventions? | O O O|   | 2. 6| Do the selected colors correspond to common expectations about color codes? | O O O|   | 2. | When prompts imply a necessary action, are the words in the message consistent with that action? | O O O|   | 2. 8| Do keystroke references in prompts match actual key names? | O O O|   | 2. 9| On data entry screens, are tasks described in terminology familiar to users? | O O O|   | 2. 10| Are field-level prompts provided for data entry screens? |   |   | 2. 11| For question and answer interfaces, are questions stated in clear, simple language? | O O O|   | 2. 12| Do menu choices fit logically into categories that have readily understood meanings? | O O O|   | 2. 13| Are menu titles parallel grammatically? | O O O|   | 2. 4| Does the command language employ user jargo n and avoid computer jargon? | O O O|   | 2. 15| Are command names specific rather than general? | O O O|   | 2. 16| Does the command language allow both full names and abbreviations? | O O O|   | 2. 17| Are input data codes meaningful? | O O O|   | 2. 18| Have uncommon letter sequences been avoided whenever possible? | O O O|   | 2. 19| Does the system automatically enter leading or trailing spaces to align decimal points? | O O O|   | 2. 20| Does the system automatically enter a dollar sign and decimal for monetary entries? | O O O|   | #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| . 21| Does the system automatically enter commas in numeric values greater than 9999? | O O O|   | 2. 22| Do GUI menus offer activation: that is, make obvious how to say  Ã¢â‚¬Å"now do it†? | O O O|   | 2. 23| Has the system been designed so that keys with similar names do not perform opposite (and potentially dangerous) actions? | O O O|   | 2. 24| Are function keys labeled cle arly and distinctively, even if this means breaking consistency rules? | O O O|   | 3. User Control and Freedom Users should be free to select and sequence tasks (when appropriate), rather than having the system do this for them.Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked â€Å"emergency exit† to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Users should make their own decisions (with clear information) regarding the costs of exiting current work. The system should support undo and redo. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 3. 1| If setting up windows is a low-frequency task, is it particularly easy to remember? | O O O|   | 3. 2| In systems that use overlapping windows, is it easy for users to rearrange windows on the screen? | O O O|   | 3. | In systems that use overlapping windows, is it easy for users to switch between windows? | O O O|   | 3. 4| When a user's task is complete, does the system w ait for a signal from the user before processing? | O O O|   | 3. 5| Can users type-ahead in a system with many nested menus? | O O O|   | 3. 6| Are users prompted to confirm commands that have drastic, destructive consequences? | O O O|   | 3. 7| Is there an â€Å"undo† function at the level of a single action, a data entry, and a complete group of actions? | O O O|   | 3. 8| Can users cancel out of operations in progress? | O O O|   | 3. | Are character edits allowed in commands? | O O O|   | 3. 10| Can users reduce data entry time by copying and modifying existing data? | O O O|   | 3. 11| Are character edits allowed in data entry fields? | O O O|   | 3. 12| If menu lists are long (more than seven items), can users select an item either by moving the cursor or by typing a mnemonic code? | O O O|   | 3. 13| If the system uses a pointing device, do users have the option of either clicking on menu items or using a keyboard shortcut? | O O O|   | 3. 14| Are menus broad (many items on a menu) rather than deep (many menu levels)? | O O O|   | 3. 5| If the system has multiple menu levels, is there a mechanism that allows users to go back to previous menus? | O O O|   | #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 3. 16| If users can go back to a previous menu, can they change their earlier menu choice? | O O O|   | 3. 17| Can users move forward and backward between fields or dialog box options? | O O O|   | 3. 18| If the system has multipage data entry screens, can users move backward and forward among all the pages in the set? | O O O|   | 3. 19| If the system uses a question and answer interface, can users go back to previous questions or skip forward to later questions? O O O|   | 3. 20| Do function keys that can cause serious consequences have an undo feature? | O O O|   | 3. 21| Can users easily reverse their actions? | O O O|   | 3. 22| If the system allows users to reverse their actions, is there a retracing mechanis m to allow for multiple undos? | O O O|   | 3. 23| Can users set their own system, session, file, and screen defaults? | O O O|   | 4. Consistency and Standards Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 4. | Have industry or company formatting standards been followed consistently in all screens within a system? | O O O|   | 4. 2| Has a heavy use of all uppercase letters on a screen been avoided? | O O O|   | 4. 3| Do abbreviations not include punctuation? | O O O|   | 4. 4| Are integers right-justified and real numbers decimal-aligned? | O O O|   | 4. 5| Are icons labeled? | O O O|   | 4. 6| Are there no more than twelve to twenty icon types? | O O O|   | 4. 7| Are there salient visual cues to identify the active window? | O O O|   | 4. 8| Does each window have a title? | O O O|   | 4. | Are vertical and horizontal scrolling possible in each window? | O O O|   | 4. 10| Does the menu structure match the task structure? | O O O|   | 4. 11| Have industry or company standards been established for menu design, and are they applied consistently on all menu screens in the system? | O O O|   | 4. 12| Are menu choice lists presented vertically? | O O O|   | 4. 13| If â€Å"exit† is a menu choice, does it always appear at the bottom of the list? | O O O|   | 4. 14| Are menu titles either centered or left-justified? | O O O|   | 4. 15| Are menu items left-justified, with the item number or mnemonic preceding the name? O O O|   | 4. 16| Do embedded field-level prompts appear to the right of the field label? | O O O|   | 4. 17| Do on-line instructions appear in a consistent location across screens? | O O O|   | 4. 18| Are field labels and fields distinguished typographically? | O O O|   | 4. 19| Are field labels consistent from one data entry screen to another? | O O O|   | 4. 20| Are fields and labels left-justified for alpha lists and right-justified for numeric lists? | O O O|   | #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 4. 21| Do field labels appear to the left of single fields and above list fields? | O O O|   | 4. 2| Are attention-getting techniques used with care? | O O O|   | 4. 23| Intensity: two levels only| O O O|   | 4. 24| Size: up to four sizes| O O O|   | 4. 25| Font: up to three| O O O|   | 4. 26| Blink: two to four hertz| O O O|   | 4. 27| Color: up to four (additional colors for occasional use only)| O O O|   | 4. 28| Sound: soft tones for regular positive feedback, harsh for rare critical conditions| O O O|   | 4. 29| Are attention-getting techniques used only for exceptional conditions or for time-dependent information? | O O O|   | 4. 30| Are there no more than four to seven colors, and are they far apart along the visible spectrum? O O O|   | 4. 31| Is a legend provided if color codes are numerous or not obvious in meaning? | O O O|   | 4. 32| Have pairings of high-chroma, spectrally extreme colors been avoided? | O O O|   | 4. 33| Are saturated blues avoided for text or other small, thin line symbols? | O O O|   | 4. 34| Is the most important information placed at the beginning of the prompt? | O O O|   | 4. 35| Are user actions named consistently across all prompts in the system? | O O O|   | 4. 36| Are system objects named consistently across all prompts in the system? | O O O|   | 4. 7| Do field-level prompts provide more information than a restatement of the field name? | O O O|   | 4. 38| For question and answer interfaces, are the valid inputs for a question listed? | O O O|   | 4. 39| Are menu choice names consistent, both within each menu and across the system, in grammatical style and terminology? | O O O|   | 4. 40| Does the structure of menu choice names match their corresponding menu titles? | O O O|   | 4. 41| Are commands used the same way, and do they mean the same thing , in all parts of the system? | O O O|   | 4. 42| Does the command language have a consistent, natural, and mnemonic syntax? | O O O|   | 4. 3| Do abbreviations follow a simple primary rule and, if necessary, a simple secondary rule for abbreviations that otherwise would be duplicates? | O O O|   | #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 4. 44| Is the secondary rule used only when necessary? | O O O|   | 4. 45| Are abbreviated words all the same length? | O O O|   | 4. 46| Is the structure of a data entry value consistent from screen to screen? | O O O|   | 4. 47| Is the method for moving the cursor to the next or previous field consistent throughout the system? | O O O|   | 4. 48| If the system has multipage data entry screens, do all pages have the same title? O O O|   | 4. 49| If the system has multipage data entry screens, does each page have a sequential page number? | O O O|   | 4. 50| Does the system follow industry or company standards for function key a ssignments? | O O O|   | 4. 51| Are high-value, high-chroma colors used to attract attention? | O O O|   | 5. Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover From Errors Error messages should be expressed in plain language (NO CODES). #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 5. 1| Is sound used to signal an error? | O O O|   | 5. 2| Are prompts stated constructively, without overt or implied criticism of the user? O O O|   | 5. 3| Do prompts imply that the user is in control? | O O O|   | 5. 4| Are prompts brief and unambiguous. | O O O|   | 5. 5| Are error messages worded so that the system, not the user, takes the blame? | O O O|   | 5. 6| If humorous error messages are used, are they appropriate and inoffensive to the user population? | O O O|   | 5. 7| Are error messages grammatically correct? | O O O|   | 5. 8| Do error messages avoid the use of exclamation points? | O O O|   | 5. 9| Do error messages avoid the use of violent or hostile words? | O O O|   | 5 . 10| Do error messages avoid an anthropomorphic tone? | O O O|   | 5. 1| Do all error messages in the system use consistent grammatical style, form, terminology, and abbreviations? | O O O|   | 5. 12| Do messages place users in control of the system? | O O O|   | 5. 13| Does the command language use normal action-object syntax? | O O O|   | 5. 14| Does the command language avoid arbitrary, non-English use of punctuation, except for symbols that users already know? | O O O|   | 5. 15| If an error is detected in a data entry field, does the system place the cursor in that field or highlight the error? | O O O|   | 5. 16| Do error messages inform the user of the error's severity? O O O|   | 5. 17| Do error messages suggest the cause of the problem? | O O O|   | 5. 18| Do error messages provide appropriate semantic information? | O O O|   | 5. 19| Do error messages provide appropriate syntactic information? | O O O|   | 5. 20| Do error messages indicate what action the user needs to take to correct the error? | O O O|   | 5. 21| If the system supports both novice and expert users, are multiple levels of error-message detail available? | O O O|   | 6. Error Prevention Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. | Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 6. 1| If the database includes groups of data, can users enter more than one group on a single screen? | O O O|   | 6. 2| Have dots or underscores been used to indicate field length? | O O O|   | 6. 3| Is the menu choice name on a higher-level menu used as the menu title of the lower-level menu? | O O O|   | 6. 4| Are menu choices logical, distinctive, and mutually exclusive? | O O O|   | 6. 5| Are data inputs case-blind whenever possible? | O O O|   | 6. 6| If the system displays multiple windows, is navigation between windows simple and visible? | O O O|   | 6. | Are the function keys that can cause the mos t serious consequences in hard-to-reach positions? | O O O|   | 6. 8| Are the function keys that can cause the most serious consequences located far away from low-consequence and high-use keys? | O O O|   | 6. 9| Has the use of qualifier keys been minimized? | O O O|   | 6. 10| If the system uses qualifier keys, are they used consistently throughout the system? | O O O|   | 6. 11| Does the system prevent users from making errors whenever possible? | O O O|   | 6. 12| Does the system warn users if they are about to make a potentially serious error? O O O|   | 6. 13| Does the system intelligently interpret variations in user commands? | O O O|   | 6. 14| Do data entry screens and dialog boxes indicate the number of character spaces available in a field? | O O O|   | 6. 15| Do fields in data entry screens and dialog boxes contain default values when appropriate? | O O O|   | 7. Recognition Rather Than Recall Make objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate. | Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 7. 1| For question and answer interfaces, are visual cues and white space used to distinguish questions, prompts, instructions, and user input? | O O O|   | 7. 2| Does the data display start in the upper-left corner of the screen? | O O O|   | 7. 3| Are multiword field labels placed horizontally (not stacked vertically)? | O O O|   | 7. 4| Are all data a user needs on display at each step in a transaction sequence? | O O O|   | 7. 5| Are prompts, cues, and messages placed where the eye is likely to be looking on the screen? | O O O|   | 7. | Have prompts been formatted using white space, justification, and visual cues for easy scanning? | O O O|   | 7. 7| Do text areas have â€Å"breathing space† around them? | O O O|   | 7. 8| Is there an obvious visu al distinction made between â€Å"choose one† menu and â€Å"choose many† menus? | O O O|   | 7. 9| Have spatial relationships between soft function keys (on-screen cues) and keyboard function keys been preserved? | O O O|   | 7. 10| Does the system gray out or delete labels of currently inactive soft function keys? | O O O|   | 7. 11| Is white space used to create symmetry and lead the eye in the appropriate direction? O O O|   | 7. 12| Have items been grouped into logical zones, and have headings been used to distinguish between zones? | O O O|   | 7. 13| Are zones no more than twelve to fourteen characters wide and six to seven lines high? | O O O|   | 7. 14| Have zones been separated by spaces, lines, color, letters, bold titles, rules lines, or shaded areas? | O O O|   | 7. 15| Are field labels close to fields, but separated by at least one space? | O O O|   | 7. 16| Are long columnar fields broken up into groups of five, separated by a blank line? | O O O|   | 7. 17| Are optional data entry fields clearly marked? O O O|   | 7. 18| Are symbols used to break long input strings into â€Å"chunks†? | O O O|   | 7. 19| Is reverse video or color highlighting used to get the user's attention? | O O O|   | 7. 20| Is reverse video used to indicate that an item has been selected? | O O O|   | 7. 21| Are size, boldface, underlining, color, shading, or typography used to show relative quantity or importance of different screen items? | O O O|   | 7. 22| Are borders used to identify meaningful groups? | O O O|   | 7. 23| Has the same color been used to group related elements? | O O O|   | 7. 24| Is color coding consistent throughout the system? O O O|   | 7. 25| Is color used in conjunction with some other redundant cue? | O O O|   | 7. 26| Is there good color and brightness contrast between image and background colors? | O O O|   | 7. 27| Have light, bright, saturated colors been used to emphasize data and h ave darker, duller, and desaturated colors been used to de-emphasize data? | O O O|   | 7. 28| Is the first word of each menu choice the most important? | O O O|   | 7. 29| Does the system provide  mapping:  that is, are the relationships between controls and actions apparent to the user? | O O O|   | 7. 30| Are input data codes distinctive? | O O O|   | . 31| Have frequently confused data pairs been eliminated whenever possible? | O O O|   | 7. 32| Have large strings of numbers or letters been broken into chunks? | O O O|   | 7. 33| Are inactive menu items grayed out or omitted? | O O O|   | 7. 34| Are there menu selection defaults? | O O O|   | 7. 35| If the system has many menu levels or complex menu levels, do users have access to an on-line spatial menu map? | O O O|   | 7. 36| Do GUI menus offer affordance: that is, make obvious where selection is possible? | O O O|   | 7. 37| Are there salient visual cues to identify the active window? | O O O|   | 7 . 8| Are function keys arranged in logical groups? | O O O|   | 7. 39| Do data entry screens and dialog boxes indicate when fields are optional? | O O O|   | 7. 40| On data entry screens and dialog boxes, are dependent fields displayed only when necessary? | O O O|   | 8. Fexibility and Minimalist Design Accelerators-unseen by the novice user-may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions. Provide alternative means of access and operation for users who differ from the â€Å"average† user (e. . , physical or cognitive ability, culture, language, etc. ) #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 8. 1| If the system supports both novice and expert users, are multiple levels of error message detail available? | O O O|   | 8. 2| Does the system allow novices to use a keyword grammar and experts to use a positional grammar? | O O O|   | 8. 3| Can user s define their own synonyms for commands? | O O O|   | 8. 4| Does the system allow novice users to enter the simplest, most common form of each command, and allow expert users to add parameters? | O O O|   | 8. | Do expert users have the option of entering multiple commands in a single string? | O O O|   | 8. 6| Does the system provide function keys for high-frequency commands? | O O O|   | 8. 7| For data entry screens with many fields or in which source documents may be incomplete, can users save a partially filled screen? | O O O|   | 8. 8| Does the system automatically enter leading zeros? | O O O|   | 8. 9| If menu lists are short (seven items or fewer), can users select an item by moving the cursor? | O O O|   | 8. 10| If the system uses a type-ahead strategy, do the menu items have mnemonic codes? | O O O|   | 8. 1| If the system uses a pointing device, do users have the option of either clicking on fields or using a keyboard shortcut? | O O O|   | 8. 12| Doe s the system offer â€Å"find next† and â€Å"find previous† shortcuts for database searches? | O O O|   | 8. 13| On data entry screens, do users have the option of either clicking directly on a field or using a keyboard shortcut? | O O O|   | 8. 14| On menus, do users have the option of either clicking directly on a menu item or using a keyboard shortcut? | O O O|   | 8. 15| In dialog boxes, do users have the option of either clicking directly on a dialog box option or using a keyboard shortcut? O O O|   | 8. 16| Can expert users bypass nested dialog boxes with either type-ahead, user-defined macros, or keyboard shortcuts? | O O O|   | 9. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 9. 1| Is only (and all) information essential to decision making displayed on the screen? | O O O|   | 9. 2| Are all icons in a set visually and conceptually distinct? O O O|   | 9. 3| Have large objects, bold lines, and simple areas been used to distinguish icons? | O O O|   | 9. 4| Does each icon stand out from its background? | O O O|   | 9. 5| If the system uses a standard GUI interface where menu sequence has already been specified, do menus adhere to the specification whenever possible? | O O O|   | 9. 6| Are meaningful groups of items separated by white space? | O O O|   | 9. 7| Does each data entry screen have a short, simple, clear, distinctive title? | O O O|   | 9. 8| Are field labels brief, familiar, and descriptive? O O O|   | 9. 9| Are prompts expressed in the affirmative, and do they use the active voice? | O O O|   | 9. 10| Is each lower-level menu choice associated with only one higher level menu? | O O O|   | 9. 11| Are menu titles brief, yet long enough to communicate? | O O O|   | 9. 12| Are there pop-up or pull-down menus within data entry fields that have many, but well-defined, entry options? | O O O|   | 10. Help and Documentation Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation.Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user’s task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 10. 1| If users are working from hard copy, are the parts of the hard copy that go on-line marked? | O O O|   | 10. 2| Are on-line instructions visually distinct? | O O O|   | 10. 3| Do the instructions follow the sequence of user actions? | O O O|   | 10. 4| If menu choices are ambiguous, does the system provide additional explanatory information when an item is selected? | O O O|   | 10. | Are data entry screens and dialog boxes supported by navigation and completion instructions? | O O O|   | 10. 6| If menu items are ambiguous, does the system provide additional explanatory information when an item is selected? | O O O|   | 10. 7| Are there memory aids for commands, either through on-line quick reference or prompting? | O O O|   | 10. 8| Is the help function visible; for example, a key labeled HELP or a special menu? | O O O|   | 10. 9| Is the help system interface (navigation, presentation, and conversation) consistent with the navigation, presentation, and conversation interfaces of the application it supports? O O O|   | 10. 10| Navigation: Is information easy to find? | O O O|   | 10. 11| Presentation: Is the visual layout well designed? | O O O|   | 10. 12| Conversation: Is the information accurate, complete, and understandable? | O O O|   | #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 10. 13| Is the information relevant? | O O O|   | 10. 14| Goal-oriented (What can I do with this program? )| O O O|   | 10. 15| Descriptive (What is this thing for? )| O O O|   | 10. 16| Procedural (How do I do this task? )| O O O|   | 10. 17| Interpretive (Why did that happen? )| O O O|   | 10. 8| Navigational (Where am I? )| O O O|   | 10. 19| Is there context-sensitive help? | O O O|   | 10. 20| Can the user change the level of detail available? | O O O|   | 10. 21| Can users easily switch between help and their work? | O O O|   | 10. 22| Is it easy to access and return from the help system? | O O O|   | 10. 23| Can users resume work where they left off after accessing help? | O O O|   | 11. Skills The system should support, extend, supplement, or enhance the user’s skills, background knowledge, and expertise —-not replace them. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 1. 1| Can users choose between iconic and text display of information? | O O O|   | 11. 2| Are window operations easy to learn and use? | O O O|   | 11. 3| If users are experts, usage is frequent, or the system has a slow response time, are there f ewer screens (more information per screen)? | O O O|   | 11. 4| If users are novices, usage is infrequent, or the system has a fast response time, are there more screens (less information per screen)? | O O O|   | 11. 5| Does the system automatically color-code items, with little or no user effort? | O O O|   | 11. | If the system supports both novice and expert users, are multiple levels of detail available. | O O O|   | 11. 7| Are users the initiators of actions rather than the responders? | O O O|   | 11. 8| Does the system perform data translations for users? | O O O|   | 11. 9| Do field values avoid mixing alpha and numeric characters whenever possible? | O O O|   | 11. 10| If the system has deep (multilevel) menus, do users have the option of typing ahead? | O O O|   | 11. 12| When the user enters a screen or dialog box, is the cursor already positioned in the field users are most likely to need? O O O|   | 11. 13| Can users move forward and backward within a field? | O O O|   | 11. 14| Is the method for moving the cursor to the next or previous field both simple and visible? | O O O|   | 11. 15| Has auto-tabbing been avoided except when fields have fixed lengths or users are experienced? | O O O|   | 11. 16| Do the selected input device(s) match user capabilities? | O O O|   | 11. 17| Are cursor keys arranged in either an inverted T (best for experts) or a cross configuration (best for novices)? | O O O|   | 11. 18| Are important keys (for example,  ENTER  ,  TAB) larger than other keys? O O O|   | 11. 19| Are there enough function keys to support functionality, but not so many that scanning and finding are difficult? | O O O|   | 11. 20| Are function keys reserved for generic, high-frequency, important functions? | O O O|   | 11. 21| Are function key assignments consistent across screens, subsystems, and related products? | O O O|   | 11. 22| Does the system correctly anticipate and prompt for the user's probab le next activity? | O O O|   | 12. Pleasurable and Respectful Interaction with the User The user’s interactions with the system should enhance the quality of her or his work-life.The user should be treated with respect. The design should be aesthetically pleasing- with artistic as well as functional value. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 12. 1| Is each individual icon a harmonious member of a family of icons? | O O O|   | 12. 2| Has excessive detail in icon design been avoided? | O O O|   | 12. 3| Has color been used with discretion? | O O O|   | 12. 4| Has the amount of required window housekeeping been kept to a minimum? | O O O|   | 12. 5| If users are working from hard copy, does the screen layout match the paper form? | O O O|   | 12. | Has color been used specifically to draw attention, communicate organization, indicate status changes, and establish relationships? | O O O|   | 12. 7| Can users turn off automatic color coding if necessary? | O O O|   | 12. 8| Are typing requirements minimal for question and answer interfaces? | O O O|   | 12. 9| Do the selected input device(s) match environmental constraints? | O O O|   | 12. 13| If the system uses multiple input devices, has hand and eye movement between input devices been minimized? | O O O|   | 12. 14| If the system supports graphical tasks, has an alternative pointing device been provided? O O O|   | 12. 15| Is the numeric keypad located to the right of the alpha key area? | O O O|   | 12. 16| Are the most frequently used function keys in the most accessible positions? | O O O|   | 12. 17| Does the system complete unambiguous partial input on a data entry field? | O O O|   | 13. Privacy The system should help the user to protect personal or private information- belonging to the user or the his/her clients. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 13. 1| Are protected areas completely inaccessible? | O O O|   | 13. 2| Can protected or confidential ar eas be accessed with certain passwords. O O O|   | 13. 3| Is this feature effective and successful. | O O O|   | System Title:__________________________ Release #: __________________________ Evaluator: __________________________   Date: __________________________ Primary Source Making Computers-People Literate.  © Copyright 1993. By Elaine Weiss ISBN: 0-471-01877-5 Secondary Source Usability Inspection Methods.  © Copyright 1994. By Jakob Nielsen and Robert Mack ISBN: 1-55542-622-0 SCREEN SHOTS Homepage Navigations via Categories Shipping and Returns Policies Frequently Asked Questions Navigations via Hyperlinked Images External Links Result Filtering