This chapter focuses on two areas: audience appreciation and copyright. When creating an ICT solution, it is important to make sure it is suitable for the people who will use it. The chapter also explains how software is protected by copyright law and how software piracy can be reduced.
Use these links to move directly to each part of Chapter 9.
Audience appreciation means considering the characteristics and needs of the people who will use or view an ICT solution.
Before creating a presentation, consider the audience's:
For example, a presentation for young schoolchildren should be very different from one designed for company directors. Similarly, a technical audience may understand specialist terminology that an ordinary audience would not.
Information about the target audience can be collected using:
The results can then be analysed to identify patterns and help design an appropriate solution.
The language should suit the audience.
Multimedia includes:
Multimedia can make a presentation more interesting, but too much can distract the audience from the main message.
The presentation should not be unnecessarily long. Young audiences, in particular, may lose interest quickly.
The presenter may involve the audience by:
However, not everybody may want to participate.
Examples should:
Suppose a mobile-phone company creates two presentations:
The audience may want:
Customers may be more interested in:
When developing something such as a website, important audience characteristics include:
Income may affect what products or services should be advertised.
For example, a car website aimed at people with lower incomes would probably advertise different models from one aimed at wealthier customers.
The content should match the audience's interests.
For example, a music website should provide information about the types of music its target users prefer.
An ICT solution should also consider users with disabilities.
| Audience | Some suitable features |
|---|---|
| Young children | Bright colours, animation, sound, large fonts, simple words, many pictures |
| Adults/older children | Attractive design, interesting content, mixture of text and images, suitable language |
| Older people | Larger fonts, contrasting colours, simple interface, consistent page design |
Considering the audience helps make an ICT solution fit for purpose. It can:
Poorly designed interfaces, complicated language and too much typing can frustrate users and cause them to stop using the system.
Copyright legally protects software and other creative work.
Without permission or the correct licence, it is illegal to:
Software piracy is the illegal copying of software.
It causes problems for software companies because illegal copies may be distributed without the copyright owner's permission or payment.
Several methods can help prevent illegal copying.
During installation, the user may have to enter a unique product key. This is usually a combination of letters and numbers supplied with the genuine software.
Before installing software, the user may have to select I AGREE. This confirms that the user accepts the conditions of the software licence.
Original software packaging may contain a hologram to show that it is genuine.
Some software only works when the original:
is present.
A dongle is a small hardware device, often connected through USB. Some software only operates when the correct dongle is connected to the computer.
Copyright infringement occurs when someone breaks copyright law, for example by illegally copying, selling or distributing copyrighted software.
Organisations can take legal action against people or companies involved in software piracy. The book gives examples of organisations created to protect software and other intellectual property from illegal copying.
| Young audience | Older audience |
|---|---|
| Bright colours | Clear/contrasting colours |
| Animations and sound | Simple, consistent design |
| Large fonts | Larger/easy-to-read fonts |
| More pictures | More emphasis on useful content |
| Simple words | Avoid unnecessary technical language |
| Copyright | Software piracy |
|---|---|
| Legal protection given to software | Illegal copying of software |
| Protects the creator/owner | Breaks copyright rules |
| Controls how software may be copied or distributed | May involve copying, selling or sharing software illegally |
Students should be able to: