Implementation of Medication Safety Alerts †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Implementation of Medication Safety Alerts. Answer: Introduction: The interactive system evaluated in this report is AutoCAD. AutoCAD is a computer-aided design (CAD) program or software that is used to create technical 2D or 3D drawings, models or illustrations of buildings, machines, computer chips, manufacturing goods, bridges, roads, fashion products, etc. This is one of the most complex interactive systems. It is used by different professionals such as engineers, architects, designers, artists, drafters (civil drafters, mechanical drafters, electrical drafters, architectural drafters, electrical drafters and electronics drafters), contractors, building managers, game developers, 3D animators, graphic designers, product manufacturers, prototype designers, and inventors, among others. Though largely used in engineering field, AutoCAD software also has applications in different other fields such as fashion and medicine/healthcare(Letafatkar, et al., 2011). The professionals that use AutoCAD are assumed to have been trained on how to use the softw are and fully understand CAD principles. Therefore users of AutoCAD must possess requisite technical knowledge and skills. Nevertheless, AutoCAD is also used as a learning tool that enhances students understanding(Gracia-Ibanez Vergara, 2016) (especially engineering students)(Zakaria, et al., 2012). AutoCAD users have a wide range of capabilities. They can use the software to create 2D or 3D models or drawings of structures or products they want to create; create and provide dimensions (baseline dimensions, angular dimensions or radial dimensions), measurements and notes of the structure or product; create technical blueprints and schematic of structures and products; create layers (that can be turned on and off) of various systems of the structure (such as plumbing systems, electrical systems, heating systems, ventilation systems and air conditioning systems) or product; import layers from other drawings and add them to the working drawing; edit, modify or make changes to the drawings created to correct any errors and ensure that they are as per the required specifications; insert blocks that have already been used or created on the drawing; import a PAGESETUP from other drawings(Pei, 2017); create custom palettes and blocks; create different viewports of the drawing; manipulat e external references; create and apply materials; apply rendering; provide measurements of materials needed to create the structures and products; think creatively and critically; analyze drawings extensively; read and analyze drawings critically; and prepare appropriate drawings template files and construction or manufacturing documentation. Other fundamental capabilities of AutoCAD users include: meticulously understand all commands of the software; know and use shortcut keys so as to finish the design work more quickly; understand all drafting techniques, symbols and codes; quick in learning any new software tools and commands; plan properly on how to start and finish a project successfully; communicate and collaborate effectively with other project team members; store and retrieve data and files easily and quickly; save files in different formats; use the software together with other relevant systems, tools and technologies such as Excel, Building Information Modeling (BIM), lean manufacturing tool, etc., and present final work elegantly, precisely and professionally; interpret drawings clearly. These capabilities vary depending on the knowledge level of the user. The users tested in this paper will be categorized as beginner users, intermediate users, and advanced users. The use cases The subsets of the functionality of AutoCAD software that will considered in this report are: import saved settings of layers from a different drawing (particularly dimension styles, color styles and text styles) and use them in another drawing; insert blocks from other drawings or online sources, and quantity estimation that involves estimating the quantity of materials needed to create the designed structure or product. Therefore the use cases considered in this report are: importing and using layers from a different drawing, inserting blocks that were used and saved in a different drawing, and quantity estimation. All these tasks are completed and tested using AutoCAD. In the first use case, dimension styles, color styles and text styles (layer settings) that were used and saved in a different drawing will be imported and used in the new drawing. The user will be required to start the AutoCAD software, open the working page where the drawing is being created, and follow the requir ed commands so as to important the right layers from the saved drawing and use it in the drawing that is being worked on. In the second use case, the user will have to obtain several blocks from both saved design drawings, and insert them in the drawing that is being worked on. The blocks will include drawing details and symbols. In the third use case, the user will be estimating the total amount of materials that are required to build, manufacture or create the designed structure or product. The quantities of individual components will be determined them summed up to find the total estimate. This report will not consider other use cases of AutoCAD, such as creating new blocks, applying rendering, analyzing drawings comprehensively, importing a PAGESETUP, modifying drawings to accommodate new changes, preparing drawing documentations, etc. The focus will only be on the three use cases mentioned above. In all these use cases, the AutoCAD user must have the requisite capabilities to perform the tasks. For instance, the user must fully understand the tools and commands that should be used, and how to use them. The evaluation methodology The fundamental goal of this process is to determine the capabilities of different AutoCAD users in performing the above mentioned use cases. This will help in determining the most suitable human factors that should be considered when designing AutoCAD and other interactive systems. It is very important to consider human factors when designing interactive systems(Leva, et al., 2015); (Phansalkar, et al., 2010). This is because human factors significantly influence the interaction between users and the systems(Robert, 2011);(Samer, 2016). If appropriate human factors are not considered then users interaction, capabilities and understanding of the systems may not be as good as needed(Al-Ageel, et al., 2015). In other words, human factors influence user capabilities and experience(Abduljalil Kang, 2011); (Saeed, et al., 2014). The users were categorized into three groups: beginner users, intermediate users, and advanced users. Beginner users are those with basic AutoCAD skills. They may be still in the process of training or learning how to use AutoCAD. Intermediate users are those with considerable AutoCAD skills. They are usually those that have completed AutoCAD training and using it for some time. Advanced users are those with high-level AutoCAD capabilities. They must have used the software for quite a long time and therefore are very conversant with it. Each user was required to perform the three tasks consecutively. Before starting to perform the tasks, users were required to note down the goal or expected outcome of the task, state the general procedure of performing each task, list commands that will be used in performing the task, identify various icons or symbols used in performing the task, state the inputs for each task, and give the estimated time to complete the tasks. Thereafter, users exec uted the three tasks, one at a time. After completing the tasks, users were asked to answer questions and give their feedback on the following issues: inputs used, ease of identifying icons, layout complexity, ease of finding and using commands, number of shortcut keys used, quality of texts and images, total time taken to complete the three tasks, efficiency, error frequency, monotony and boredom, task effectiveness, autonomy and user satisfaction. All these tasks were performed using the same version of AutoCAD AutoCAD 2014, installed in desktop computers in the university computer lab. The three tasks in this paper are: importing saved layers from a different drawing, inserting blocks obtained from another drawing, and quantity estimation. Importing layers: layers are one of the elements of AutoCAD drawings that significantly influences how the final drawing looks like. The specific layers imported in this report were dimension styles, color styles and text style. When layer is entered as a command prompt, various options are displayed depending on the structure or product being drawn. If it is building, layer options can include foundation, floor plan, fixtures, doors, cabinets, roof, electrical, plumbing, etc.(Pandey, 2016). The properties and visibility of these objects can be controlled using layers such as linetype, color, etc. Generally, layers help in organizing various objects of the drawing by purpose or function thus reducing its complexity(Autodesk Inc., 2015). They also help in improving visibility of the drawing. Inserting blocks: a block refers to a named object comprising of one or more objects(Autodesk Inc., 2018). When a block is inserted, all information of the block (including layers, linetypes, geometry and colors) are also transferred and stored in a table of definitions behind-the-scenes. The blocks inserted in this exercise were from a different drawing. It is also worth noting that blocks can be inserted from the current drawing. Estimating quantity of materials: AutoCAD can be used to calculate or compute quantities of materials that are needed to create a structure, machine or product that is in the drawing. Since AutoCAD drawings are organized in layers, the user has to estimate materials for each individual layer. For example, if it is a house drawing, the user estimate materials for the floor, doors, windows, roof, fixture, etc. In this task, the user has to estimate volumes of materials for the entire drawing. These tasks aimed at determining users capabilities to use various commands, elements and tools of AutoCAD including: basics such as unitsproperties, commands such as linetype, properties and matchprop, viewing (such as draw order), layers, layouts (such as mview), geometry (such as circle, line, hatch, pline and rectang), precision (such as dist and osnap), blocks (such as external blocks and insert), modifying (such as align, copy, mirror, fillet, erase, extend, explode, rotate, trim, stretch, move, offset, move and pedit commands), dimensions (such as dimaligned, dimlinear, dimangular, diradius, dimdiameter, dimcontinue, and dimstyle), notes labels (such as mleader, style, mtext and mleaderstyle), and printing (such as plot and pagesetup), among others. Besides understanding these commands and tools, the tasks also aimed at determining how users understand and use shortcut keys. Task descriptions Importing layers is executed using the LAYER command, which comprises Layer Properties Manager. The command can be accessed by either clicking Layer Properties tool icon or entering LA or LAYER in the Command window. This displays all layers of the drawing, including current layer, and shows those that are on or off. The user has to choose the layer that he/she wants to work. In the Layer Properties Manger, the user clicks on Layer State then clicks on Manage Layer States from the drop-down list that appears. The user then clicks Import from the Layer States Manager drop-down list. From the dialog box of Import Layer State, the user opens a file name extension that can be .dws, .dwg, or .dwt. The users selected three layer states to import (one at a time) then clicked OK. The layer states that were imported included dimension style, color style and text style. Blocks in this exercise were inserted from another drawing. To do this, the user clicks on Home tab then clicks on Block panel. The user chooses the INSERT command after which a dialog box opens. From the dialog box, the user clicks o Browse button. He/she searches through various options then selects the specific drawing from which to import the block. Thereafter, the user uses the settings in dialog box to insert the block. Some of the section options in the dialog box settings include: Insertion Point section, Scale section and Rotate section. Insertion Point section is where the user specifies the coordinates or exact location where to insert the block. Scale section is used to specify the scale to be used in the drawing. Rotate section is where the user specifies the rotation angle of the block. There is also Explode command that can be used to make other changes to the block(Finkelstein, 2012). After completing these tasks, the user clicks on OK and the block insertion process is complete. Quantity estimation is this case use was executed by clicking on Vision Tools command followed by Roombook panel then Calculate Room Quantities (for a building drawing). After completing the calculation process, the user clicked on View/Edit Results button. This enabled him/her to view subareas related to each of the room quantity that was calculated. This command also helps in making some adjustments such as wall height, threshold area, window area, top ceiling factor, etc.(Autodesk.Help, 2017). The list of materials and their volumes was generated using Materiallist command. The user typed Materiallist in the command line. This was followed by selecting the objects that the user wanted to be included in the material list. After selecting all objects, the user pressed Enter. By pressing F2, the user was able to see the list of material definitions in AutoCADs text window. It is possible to select the material definitions list and copy paste it in MS Word document(Autodesk Inc., 2017 ). Debriefing procedure The methodology is this paper aims at determining the capabilities of different AutoCAD users in three use cases. The user tasks are to import layers, insert blocks and estimate material quantities in AutoCAD. These tasks or use cases will reveal a wide range of information about AutoCAD users. At the end of each use case, the following questions will have been answered: does the user understand the goals or expected results of the use case? Does the user know the overall procedure of the task or use case? Can the user approximate the total time needed to execute the task? Does the user know the required inputs in each task or use case? Does the user know the commands that will be used in each of the tasks or use cases? Does the user understand various shortcut keys that can be used in performing the task? Is the user able to identify various icons and tools? Is the system layout too complex for the user? How many errors did the user make? Were the tasks effectively and efficiently e xecuted? How many times did the user request for assistance? And did the user enjoy or find it easy to execute the tasks? The methodology used in this paper was able to answer all these questions. Evaluation performance In this study, a total of 30 students participated. The students were studying engineering courses at the university. 10 of them were AutoCAD beginners, 10 were intermediate AutoCAD users and 10 were advanced AutoCAD users. The tasks were performed in the universitys computer lab using AutoCAD 2014 version. The participants were informed about the use cases (tasks), the objectives of the study and the expected conduct during the exercise. There were also two tutors present in the computer lab during the exercise to help students where necessary. The tutors had advanced knowledge in AutoCAD use. Besides that, three engineering lecturers assessed the students work. The students also filled a form to indicate various elements based on the experience they had from performing the three tasks in AutoCAD. In general, evaluation of this exercise was based on the following: students understanding of the expected results at the end of each task, students understanding of the steps to be used i n executing the tasks, ability to estimate the total time needed to complete the three tasks, complexity of the AutoCAD system, ability of students to outline inputs needed to complete the tasks, students ability to name the commands used in performing each task, students ability to know the shortcut keys for various command, number of errors made by the student, students efficiency and effectiveness to perform the tasks, easiness or difficulty of executing the tasks, and overall satisfaction of the students. Some of the results obtained from this study are as follows: The number of users who stated the steps followed to complete each task is as shown in the table below Steps Number of users of total steps 8 N of total steps 13 N of total steps 9 From Figure 1 above, it shows that most of the users know the general procedure of executing the tasks. Nevertheless, advanced users were able to state the whole procedure, followed by intermediate users then beginners some of whom could not highlight all the steps. The average number of commands identified by the participants before starting to execute the tasks are as shown in the table below User Number of commands Beginner 5 Intermediate 10 Advanced 15 The graph in Figure 2 above shows that all users were able to identify some commands used in executing the tasks. The advanced users identified more commands, followed by intermediate users then beginners identified the least number of commands. It is an indicator that advanced users have more knowledge and skills about the commands used. The average number of shortcut keys identified by the participants before starting to execute the tasks are as shown in the table below User Number of shortcut keys Beginner 4 Intermediate 8 Advanced 12 The graph in Figure 3 above shows that all users were able to identify some shortcut keys used in executing the tasks. The advanced users identified more shortcut keys, followed by intermediate users then beginners identified the least number of shortcut keys. It is an indicator that advanced users have more knowledge and skills about the shortcut keys used. It also shows that some users, especially beginners, were only using the mouse but not the keyboard keys because they did not understand how to execute some commands using shortcuts. The average time taken by different users to complete the three tasks is as shown in the table below User Total time taken to complete the task (minutes) Beginner 75 Intermediate 45 Advanced 24 The graph in Figure 4 above shows that advanced users spent the shortest time to complete the tasks while beginners spent the longest time. This is probably because advanced users had better understand of the steps to be followed, commands to be used and the right shortcut keys to use in executing the tasks. The average number of errors made by different users are as shown in the table below User Number of errors made Beginner 15 Intermediate 8 Advanced 3 From Figure 5 above, advanced users made very few errors while beginners made most of the errors. This shows that users with more knowledge and advanced capabilities are likely to make fewer errors than novice users of AutoCAD. The average number of times that the users asked for assistance from the tutors are as shown in the table below User Number of times asked for assistances Beginner 4 Intermediate 1 Advanced 0 From Figure 6 above, there was no advanced user who requested for any assistance from the tutors. Also, only a few intermediate users requested for assistances. Most of the assistance requested were made by beginners. This against shows that users knowledge is directly related to the capabilities of users to execute the tasks. The number of users who found executing the tasks easy or difficult are as shown in the table below Easy/difficult Number of users Difficult 5 Relatively easy 10 Very easy 15 From the graph in Figure 7 above, the largest number of users found the tasks to be very easy or relatively easy. This is likely to include all advanced users, most intermediate users and may be a few beginners. Those who found it difficult to execute the tasks must have found the systems layout to be more complex and were less familiar with the general procedure, commands, tools and shortcut keys. The overall efficiency and effectiveness of completing the three tasks by the different users is as shown in the table below User Average efficiency and effectiveness (%) Beginner 52 Intermediate 75 Advanced 85 From Figure 8 above, advanced users completed the tasks very efficiently and effectively. They were followed by intermediate users and lastly beginners. The beginners were less efficient and less effective probably because they had less knowledge and expertise on identifying and using commands, tools and shortcut keys. The overall satisfaction of completing the three tasks by the different users is as shown in the table below User Average user satisfaction (%) Beginner 65 Intermediate 85 Advanced 90 From the graph in Figure 9 above, advanced users attained the greatest satisfaction (at 90%) with the interactive system (AutoCAD software). Intermediate users were also significantly satisfied (at 85%), followed by beginners (at 65%). The satisfaction levels were high and therefore it can be concluded that all users were satisfied beyond average. The findings of the evaluation All the participants involved in this study had knowledge on how to use the interactive system (AutoCAD). They understood what all the tasks (case uses) meant and what was required to be done. All the categories of the users (i.e. beginner, intermediate and advanced users) had a certain of understanding on how to import layers, insert blocks, and estimate materials quantities. Nevertheless, they clearly demonstrated different capabilities of executing the three tasks. From the results obtained, it is clear that different users have varied capabilities of using the interactive system. Obviously, advanced users had the greatest capabilities, followed by intermediate users, then beginners had the least capabilities. Advanced users are more knowledgeable and experienced on how to use the interactive system. They generally understand all the steps that should be followed from to start to end, they know the expected results or outcomes of each task, they understand almost all commands that have to be used and where to find them, they can use shortcut keys instead of the mouse only hence completing tasks easily and quickly, they dont have a problem with the layout of the system because they are more familiar with it, they make very few errors (if any) and can easily know when they have made such errors and correct them on their own, they do not need assistance on how to use the system effectively, they are able to execute tasks efficiently and effectivel y, and they are more satisfied with the whole process. However, the evaluation methodology used in this paper could not directly and specifically identify human factors that should be considered when designing an interactive system such as CAD systems. The evaluation method could have been better if it helped in identifying elements such as the effects of colors and type of symbols of the commands, brightness of computer screen, grip of computer keyboard, etc. on the ability of users to execute the tasks. The main focus in this study was on the behavior and capability of the user. However, human factors in systems design entails both the behavior/capabilities of the user and the environment(Yan, et al., 2014). The environment aspect comprises of factors that influence the comfort of the user, such as posture of the user, accessibility of the system, comfort of the user, motion/movement of the user and lighting conditions, among others(Deng, et al., 2016);(Elmansy, (n.d.)). Therefore the evaluation methodology did not include the environm ent aspect of human factors in systems design. Some of the benefits of considering both environmental and behavioral human factors when designing interactive systems include: increased applicability of users capabilities, improved system use, decreased time needed to perform the task, reduced number of errors, improved autonomy of using the system, and increased user satisfaction. The findings from this study can be used to improve the interaction between users and interactive systems, such as AutoCAD. To achieve this, all users should be asked to provide feedback about some of the problems or issues that affected their capabilities. If for example the layout of the system hindered them from finding commands easily, they should suggest how they layout of the system should look like. If they had a problem with the system colors, computer patterns, size of icons, etc., they should provide suggestions on how they should be changed. In design process of interactive system, this is what is referred to as requirement specification or identifying user needs. Once the user needs have been comprehensively identified, subsequent design phases should follow, including architectural design, detailed design, coding and testing, integration and testing, operation and maintenance. Generally, interactive systems should be designed and developed with the needs of users in mind . References Abduljalil, S. Kang, D., 2011. Analysis of Human Factors in Software Applcation Design for Effective User Experience. Seoul, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Al-Ageel, N., Al-Wabil, A., Badr, G. AlOmar, N., 2015. Human Factors in the Design and Evaluation of Bionformatics Tools. Procedia Manufacturing, Volume 3, pp. 2003-2010. Autodesk Inc., 2015. About Layers. 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