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Year 11 · ICT · Autumn 1 · Safety and security; audience; communication

Audience

TheoryPresent ▶

What this lesson covers

9.1 Audience appreciation

Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 9: Audience · Paper 1

9.2 Copyright

Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 9: Audience · Paper 1

You will learn to

  • Explain why a product must be planned for its audience.
  • Describe how age, experience, expectations and knowledge change the design of one message.
  • Describe software copyright and software piracy.
  • Describe how producers protect software from being copied.

Success criteria

  • I can redesign one message for three different audiences.
  • I can give two design choices that suit young children and two that suit adults.
  • I can name three ways producers stop software being copied.
The syllabus points for these sections
  • Explain why a solution must be planned for its audience.
  • Describe how age, experience, expectations and knowledge affect a design.
  • Explain how the purpose of a product affects its design.
  • Suggest design choices that suit a given audience.
  • Explain what software copyright is and why it exists.
  • Describe software piracy and why it is illegal.
  • Describe how producers protect software: activation keys, product codes, dongles, digital signatures and other methods.

Key words

Say each word, then read what it means. Every one is in the glossary too.

Audience
The group of people a product is made for.
Audience appreciation
Understanding the audience's needs and planning a product to suit them.
Purpose
The job a product must do, such as inform, persuade, entertain or sell.
Expectations
What users expect a product to look like and be able to do.
Accessibility
Designing so that people with disabilities or extra needs can use a product.
Copyright
A law that protects the creator of an original work from it being copied without permission.
Software piracy
Illegally copying, sharing or selling software.
Licence
Permission to use software under set rules; the buyer does not own the program.
Product key
A unique code entered during installation to prove the copy is genuine.
Activation
Checking a product key with the producer's server so it is used on a limited number of devices.
Dongle
A small USB device that must be plugged in for the software to run.
Digital signature
Encrypted data added by the producer to prove software is genuine and unchanged.
EULA
End user licence agreement: the terms you must accept before installing software.

The explanation

Read it here, or open the study page below to go one step at a time with things to try.

9.1 Audience appreciation

What audience appreciation means

The audience is the group of people who will read, watch or use a product.

Audience appreciation means understanding their needs and planning the product to suit them.

The designer finds out about the audience first, often with questionnaires, interviews or observation, the same methods used in the systems life cycle.

e.g.Example
The same school trip information could be: a colourful poster with big pictures for Year 7 students, a formal letter with costs and dates for parents, a spreadsheet with budgets for the head teacher.
?Why?

If the audience is ignored, people find the product hard to use, boring or confusing. They stop using it, and the time and money spent is wasted.

Four things to know about the audience

Cambridge names four characteristics: age, experience, expectations and knowledge.

Each one changes the design choices.

CharacteristicQuestions to askEffect on the design
AgeChildren, teenagers, adults, older people?Young children: large text, simple words, bright colours, pictures, sound. Older people: larger fonts, high contrast, simple layout.
ExperienceHave they used computers or this kind of product before?Beginners: clear instructions, help screens, few options. Experts: shortcuts, more features, less explanation.
ExpectationsWhat do they expect to see or be able to do?Users expect a shop site to have a basket and search box. A product that does not meet expectations looks unprofessional.
KnowledgeWhat do they already know about the subject?Experts accept technical terms. A general audience needs plain words and a glossary.
!Watch out

In the exam, link each feature to a reason. 'Use large font' earns less than 'use a large font because young children are still learning to read'.

Design choices you can change

Once the audience is known, the designer adjusts the parts of the product.

The most common choices are language, layout, colour, font, images and multimedia, and the level of interaction.

FeatureYoung childrenBusiness adults
LanguageShort sentences, simple wordsFormal, technical terms allowed
FontLarge, clear, sans-serifSmaller, professional, consistent house style
ColourBright, many coloursLimited, corporate colours
Images and mediaCartoons, animation, soundCharts, graphs, photos
Amount of textVery littleMore detail is fine
InteractionBig buttons, simple gamesMenus, search, filters
?Why?

Every choice either makes the product easier for this audience or harder. The aim is to remove anything that gets in their way.

Purpose: what the product is for

The purpose is the job the product must do: inform, persuade, entertain, teach or sell.

The purpose affects the content and style as much as the audience does.

A designer must think about both together: who is it for, and what must it achieve?

e.g.Example
Audience: Year 7 students. Purpose: teach road safety. Design: short animated video, simple words, a 5-question quiz at the end, a cartoon character as a guide. Audience: parents. Purpose: persuade them to join the school parents' association. Design: one-page leaflet, friendly but formal tone, clear benefits, date and contact details in bold.

Accessibility for all users

Some members of an audience have extra needs: poor eyesight, colour blindness, dyslexia, hearing loss or limited movement.

Good designs help them: text that can be enlarged, high contrast, alternative text for images, captions on video, clear sans-serif fonts and keyboard control.

These features often make the product easier for everyone.

?Why?

Ignoring accessibility shuts some people out. Many countries, including Spain, also require public websites to be accessible.

9.2 Copyright

Software copyright and piracy

Copyright is a law that protects the creator of an original work, such as a book, song, film or computer program.

Software copyright means it is illegal to copy, share, sell, change or rent software without the copyright owner's permission.

Software piracy is the illegal copying and sharing of software, for example installing one paid licence on 30 school computers.

When you buy software you buy a licence: permission to use it under certain rules. You do not own the program itself.

?Why?

Programs take years and a lot of money to make. Piracy means producers lose income, so they cannot pay staff or make new software. Pirated copies also often contain malware.

!Watch out

Buying a copy does not give the right to copy it for friends. The licence says how many devices may use it.

What copyright law forbids

Without the owner's permission, you may not copy the software and give or sell it to others.

You may not use it on more devices than the licence allows, or rent it out.

You may not copy parts of its code into your own program, or remove its protection (called cracking).

e.g.Example
A shop buys one licence of accounting software and installs it on 5 tills. This is piracy: 4 copies are illegal. The shop should buy a 5-user licence or a site licence.

How producers protect their software

Producers use technical methods so that copying is hard or the copy will not work.

Most methods check that the user has a genuine licence before the software runs.

MethodHow it works
Product code / product keyA unique code supplied with the software. It must be typed in during installation, or the software will not install.
Activation key / online activationWhen installed, the software contacts the producer's server to check the key. One key can only be activated on a set number of devices.
DongleA small device plugged into a USB port. The software only runs when the dongle is plugged in. It may hold the licence or decryption keys.
Digital signatureSoftware is signed by the producer using encryption. The computer checks the signature, so it knows the software is genuine and has not been changed.
Non-copyable media / copy protectionOriginal CDs or DVDs made in a way that stops them being copied, or will not run from a copy.
Holograms and packagingA hologram on the box or licence sticker shows the copy is genuine.
Licence agreement / EULAThe user must agree to the terms before installing. It sets out what they may and may not do.
Subscription and user accountsThe software only works while you are logged into a paid account (common for cloud software).
e.g.Example
An architect's design program costs 4,000 EUR. It only runs when a USB dongle is plugged in. If someone copies the program to another PC, it will not start without the dongle.

Comparing the methods

No method is perfect. Determined criminals can crack keys or copy dongles.

Producers often combine methods: a product key, online activation and a licence agreement together.

MethodAdvantageDisadvantage
Product keyCheap and simpleKeys can be shared or published online
Online activationLimits how many devices use one keyNeeds an internet connection
DongleVery hard to copy; licence moves with the dongleCan be lost or broken; uses a USB port
Digital signatureProves software is genuine and unchangedDoes not stop copying on its own
!Watch out

A digital signature mainly proves who made the software and that it has not been tampered with. Explain that clearly, not as 'it stops copying'.

Study it

Open the study page and go one step at a time.

ICT topic 8

Safety and security

Step by step, with exam questions and a quiz.

ICT topic 9

Audience

Step by step, with exam questions and a quiz.

ICT topic 10

Communication

Step by step, with exam questions and a quiz.

ICT topic 15

Proofing

Step by step, with exam questions and a quiz.

Topic 19 · Year 7

Digital life, law and ethics

Using technology well means staying safe, knowing the laws about computers and data, and asking who technology helps and who it harms.

Check yourself

One question at a time. The reason shows after each answer.

Saved on this device.