Question 1

2. Constructive theory states that context plays a major part in what we perceive. An   
     example: The word search conjures a different meaning when used in a group of    
     computer gurus, it means looking for a word or term stored in a database.
     For a police officer, it means stopping a suspected criminal and looking through his 
     pockets, car, and person for illegal drugs or other contrabands.
     For a search and rescue unit it means looking through the woods, water, etc. for a 
     missing person. It is the context that defines the meaning of the  word.

4. Figure 2-18a - demonstrates proximity principle. The clustering of the lines together  
    suggests to a user that the words here describe the same idea. The lines are also aligned  
    into a single block to catch the attention of the user and subtly suggest to him that this  
    a single idea is explained here. This is an example of the continuity principle.

    Figure 2-18b - demonstrates proximity principle because words that describe the same  
    idea are grouped together, continuity principle because it uses indentation to show the  
    hierarchy of importance of the information provided. 

    Figure 2-18c - demonstrates the use of the proximity principle. The first group of 
    words addresses a separate issue form the second group of words. The principle of 
    continuity is also applied by the lack of indentation which suggests that these two 
    issues are of equal importance.  

    Figure 2-18c - demonstrates the use of continuity by the use of alignment and 
    indentation. Proximity also comes into play here, as topics are grouped by chapters.

6a Most closely related link names are dog toys, doggie treats and accessories for your.
    The two groups are:
    Dog Isle          			Pet Video Store - -[sign up][ sign in]

                  dog toys                                        videos for your pooch            
                  doggie treats
                  accessories for your dog
	          view shooping cart

     In grouping the links as named above, I have assumed, from the title of the  
     proposed page that it will serve the needs of more pets than just dogs. So the Dog Isle  
     will serve dogs only. The Pet Video Store I have so named because I am expecting 
     the store to have videos for other pets. Once you are signed up as a member, all you 
     have to do is to sign in to rent videos. Also, the arrangement suggests that customers 
     do not have to sign in to shop, but have to sign in to rent videos.

b. There are five ways to visually organize information. They are Proximity, Similarity,  
    Symmetry, Continuity and Closure. 
    Proximity:  This would be useful in reorganizing the link names on the website 
    because by organizing related link names closer together in groups, we would make a   
    visit to the site more interesting and productive. 

    Similarity:  by grouping dog-related links together, the shopper si quickly directed to   
    the links that he needs to accomplish his shopping plans. Links related to cats would  
    also be together.

    Symmetry:  I do not see much use of symmetry in this web page.

    Continuity:  Alignment is a form of continuity. Using alignment on this website will 
    greatly improve its look as well as ease of use. It visually improves users ability to 
     navigate site easily.

     Closure:  Closure will play a role in organizing this site. A customer seeing a Pet 
     emporium naturally expects to see many items for different pets, and seeing a Dog Isle 
     will further strengthen that mind picture of seeing items for different pets. 

c. See attached sheet.

8. Short term domain names are more desirable for e-commerce sites because it allows for easy remembering. 
   Short term memory holds a very limited amount of data, so the fewer the letters or numbers to remember,
   the better the chance of remembering it. Secondly, short-term memory is known to hold information in chunks. 
   A chunk is made up of about seven letters or numbers [Miller 1956]. So the shorter the domain name the more likely it is that it will be remembered when seen by customers in a tv commercial.

9. Companies use phone numbers with alpha digits like 1-800-CALL ATT in their adds to help viewers associate the phone number to names or words they are already familiar with.
   This is called the use of metaphors. Users can easily recall this type of phone number because they are able to relate it to previously learned data that is now in long term memory. 
   The use of short term memory is thus minimized.

10. Examples of memory aids built into Netscape and Internet Explorer include
    1. The "Back" button is a memory aid, it returns you to a previous page without having to retype the previous address.
    2. The address bar saves a number of last visited addresses as well as the history menu.
    3. There is also the "Favorites" menu on Internet explorer or the  Bookmark menu on the Netscape that helps users save sites that they wish to visit again in the future.
    4. Also both browsers will require you to type in the first few letters of an address of a previously visited site, and it will recall the rest.
    5. Browsers also show different colors for links that have not been visited and those that have. These all help the user to remember sites he has visited earlier.

11. People find menu-based systems easier to use than command-line systems for a number of reasons:
*In menu-based systems, you do not have to recall complicated commands, it is    
  easier on the user. It relies on the ability of the user to recognize information  
  rather than recall it.
            *Also, humans are visual beings, so menu-based systems provide for easier usage   
              than command-line systems. 
	
12.  Word processors have the ability to return the cursor to its last position in a document when the user returns to the document. This helps you to know exactly where you left off. 
     It helps to immediately focus your attention on the new paragraph you were working on instead of wandering around the document trying to remember what you were doing before you got distracted.   


Question 2
     Please  visit my cs456 website at http://a.students.umkc.edu/aeo7f1/CS456.html  and click on my main project link for my project.