Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
It is relatively easy to see the relevance of orchestrating the shape of
action in story-based human-computer activities like computer games or
interactive simulations. But what about more pragmatic, “computer-like”
activities—say, spreadsheets? Both Heckel and Nelson have extolled the
virtues of VisiCalc and its descendants (e.g., Excel). Heckel (1982) identifi es
one source of the product's appeal as the immediate representation of the
effects of users' actions: “While entering formulas, the user is continuously
stimulated. Similarly, when changing a number, the user is stimulated by
the effect of the changes as they ripple through the spreadsheet.” This
source of a good spreadsheet's appeal can be visualized as a Freytag-style
curve. Let's say I'm using a spreadsheet to decide whether I can afford to
buy a new house. Referring back to Figure 3.7, the various segments of the
graph might correspond to the following actions:
A.
Getting started
. I enter the price of the desired house, the price that
my current home is likely to fetch on the market, and any additional
numerical data that I might have, such as interest rates, property taxes,
and the costs of utilities.
B.
Preliminary evaluation
. I discover that the new house, in terms of the
data already entered, will cost me $1,000 more per month. Things are
looking bad, but I really want to be able to afford the house, so now
I am going to start trying to think of things that will turn the picture
around. Thus the “inciting incident” is the initial set of calculations,
which leads to my decision to pursue a new goal: to make the num-
bers support the desired outcome.
C.
Entering new data and formulas
. Are there tax benefi ts that derive from
the interest rates and increased debt? How will my utility bills change
if I replace the new house's electric heating system with a gas furnace?
I try different strategies with positive and negative effects.
D.
Making major trade-offs
. Things are still looking bad to iffy; now it's
time to decide what sacrifi ces I am willing to make. Finally I decide
that I can live without a new car, that I can forego furniture in the liv-
ing room, and that I could borrow an additional chunk of down pay-
ment from my mother. Will any or all of these sacrifi ces be suffi cient?
E.
Making the decision
. I “turn the crank” by implementing each of these
sacrifi ce scenarios in turn and then in combination, until I arrive at
one I can live with. Yes, there is a way to afford the new house.
