For your CS 104 final lab, you will have the choice of learning about:

1. the most popular information management system, Microsoft Outlook

Ironically, the very computers that were supposed to provide you with unprecedented leisure time are actually demanding more from you. You will be constantly wired to the office and to more information than you could ever use, and as a result, you will be expected to do more in the same amount of time. To help you keep connected to the office and organized, your next new device will be a PDA, not a computer. Most likely your employer who expects you to keep up with your appointments and information will provide you with a PDA. Most of the current PDAs use a PIM (personal information management system), such as Microsoft Outlook to enter and look up appointment. One of the primary features of any PDA is the fact that it can exchange data with your desktop computer. You can enter contact information into your palm-sized computer and an appointment into your desktop computer, and then synchronize devices so that both are up-to-date.

So to learn about Microsoft Outlook, do Project 1 in your Office 2000 Lab book. Starts on page O1.6 to O1.51. Hand in your Daily Calendar Print Out from O1.35

2. exploring web sites and rating them according to some Web Site Design Principles that we laid out for you

Even more that a real-world business, an online business must pay careful attention to the image it presents to the world. The average Web surfer checks out a page for just two-to-five seconds before deciding to investigate further, or move on to a new site. A real world business might get away with being less that ideally organized or physically unattractive if it has other factors such as location and exclusivity to recommend it. A web site does not have these advantages. Here are two web sites.

http://www.skinlogic.com/

http://www.netgrocer.com/

This document contains a checklist that you can use to evaluate the two web sites in terms of seven design elements. Click on the link and print two copies of the checklist. Complete the checklist by hand, entering a Y or N next to the design elements in the what's good and what's not so good columns. Total up the good Ys and Ns and the bad Ys and Ns. Print your name at the top of the checklists (one for each of the web sites) and hand these in to your lab instructor.

Here is something to remember for those of you who think the super charged animations and graphics are something to include in your web site:

3. Doing both of these activities and receiving a lab homework credit of 45 points. Since this is the last lab there will be no homework assigned.