ICT Professional Practice Assignment: Software Design and Green ICT

This assignment solution addresses key aspects of ICT professional practice. The first part focuses on software design considerations for both visually and hearing-impaired clients, emphasizing user interface elements, keyboard navigation, and assistive technologies. The second part delves into Green ICT, outlining strategies to reduce carbon footprint through efficient data center usage, digital storage solutions, and paperless communication. Finally, the solution distinguishes between projects and processes, providing examples such as computer production and house building, and Windows upgrades to illustrate the concepts. The document references several HCI and IT-related resources for further context.

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Professional practice in IT
Assignment
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Question1
As a software developer, you are required to develop programs that can be readily accessed by
a wide range of clients.
Discuss ways in which you can design your software and applications for 2 of the following:
 Blind or visually impaired clients
 Clients with limited or poor hand coordination
 Learning programs for children recovering from trauma
 Clients who are colour blind
 Clients who are hearing impaired
Solution
1. Designing Software application for Visually Impaired Clients
For designing the software application for Visually impaired persons following
considerations are took as they cannot control computers through eyes-
a). Using the consistent and standard user –Interface Elements
This will help the visually impaired persons to use application easily, this can be done by
using the operating system supplied controls, toolbars, menus, cursors and other elements.
The screen readers are also applied for these kind of applications.
b). Creating a Flexible User Interface
This can be done by providing the contrast, cursor blink, sound effects , touch control and
other elements to provide the accessibility to the users.
c). Allowing the Full Keyboard Navigation
This will help these peoples to control the system functionalities easily, with this
applications that are fully keyboard driven with no or minimum pointing device
requirement.
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d) Label all Icons and Graphics readable through Braille
This will help these people to recognize elements easily.
e) Provide adequate time and Sound Messages for support
This will help these peoples to work easily.
Designing Software application for Hearing Impaired Clients
In order to provide support the Hearing Impaired peoples by using following steps-
a) By providing the Library of sign language for the functions and utilities of the
application in the software.
By providing this facility to these people , these people can understand functionalities easily.
b) By providing hearing aid in the applications .
This can be done by providing the hearing aid facility to them according to their capability.
c) By providing system that vibrates on alerting for any fault or any kind of message.
This can be done by connecting devices to the system.
d) Most importantly providing more text messages rather than any sound.
These peoples will read and can work in better way.
Question 2.
We have been looking at concepts of Green ICT this week.
Discuss 3 ways in which you (or your organisation), can use ICT to reduce your carbon footprint,
and contribute to Green ICT.
Green ICT is the concept of implementing the computing or processing of Information
technology in a manner so that it is Environmental Friendly. The objectives of this
application is similar to green chemistry. In fact the actual percentage of transferring the
co2 by IT Department is 0.2% of total co2 produced in environment. The main Equipment’s
used in the IT are-
 Desktops and Laptops
 Printers , scanners , copier, projectors
 Smart phones, desktop phones
 Wireless connecting devices
 Networking Devices
 Data centre and their devices
The factors, that effect the environment in IT are as follows-
 The way in which the equipment’s are manufactured.
 The conditions in which they are manufactured.
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 What type of transport is used to transport them to other places .
 How much energy is consumed by them .
 The procedure of disposal of these equipment’s.
The Green ICT is concerned about following issues in concern of environment-
 The equipment’s are sustainably manufactured with environment friendly
conditions.
 The equipment’s should be developed that lasts longer.
 The equipment’s consume and waste less energy.
 The IT equipment’s should be used in the best way.
 The disposal of the System should be done in environment friendly way.
The Methods to reduce carbon foot print are as follows-
 By using Systems with centrally connected data centre .
 By using Pen Drives, CD’S and other digital storing devices to store data.
 By using Email, Fax and other modern methods to reduce paper work.
Question 3
Which of the following are projects, and which are processes? Explain your answer
1. Building a computer, on a production line of identical computers
2. Building a house, as one of a series of identical houses all over Australia
3. Upgrading a computer from Windows 7 to Windows 10
4. Upgrading all 120 computers from Windows 7 to Windows 10
Solution-
1. It is a process as production of computers is a project, building a computer in this
series is part of this project so this is a process of whole project.
2. Again it is a process as a developing the series of identical houses all over Australia is
a project and building a house is a process.
3. This is a project as it will consist of various processes in it.
4. This is a project as consist of various processes in it.
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References
HCI Institute, Human Computer Interaction from-- www.hcii.cmu.edu (Accesed on 28-3-2017)
Human computer Interaction, from- www.interaction-design(Accesed on 28-3-2017)
Human computer interaction, from-www.tandfonline.com (Accessed on 28-3-2017)
Technopedia, what is HCI , From-www. technopedia.com (Accessed on 28-3-2017)
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