Desperado II is a Web browser application for PC users, written in JavaScript and accessing a "Filemaker Pro" database held remotely at Lancaster University. Sadly, it can currently only be run if you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer as a web browser on a PC (you can view the main screens through any browser on any machine - it just won't update them when you enter info). Hopefully, problems in JavaScript for Netscape and on web browsers for Macintoshes will be resolved as later versions are developed. We do not accept responsibility for problems incurred through using the system, and are not currently able to offer on-line support.

Click here to launch Desperado II if you are using Internet Explorer on a PC as your web browser. NOTE - do not use the return key to signal OK or to enter information - use the buttons provided.

Click here to download a Word document (in RTF) containing the user instructions that follow.

On launching Desperado II, you are presented with a logon page. Select the user name 'Guest', and type the password 'guest'. You are then presented with the configuration page.

It is possible to specify sets of functions, episode types, users, etc. from this window. However, for this demo, just click on Enter Episode Database.

On entering the episode database, you are shown the most recent episode in a Borwwe window. Each of the windows you view from now on is a display of a database record of an episode. Windows are divided into three sections:

Command bar (top section) - This shows the commands that are available:

Weight : for changing the weights used to retrieve episodes;

Search: for searching for episodes containing specific information;

Edit: for editing an episode that is already stored in the database;

New: for beginning a new episode;

Configure: for moving to the configure screen;

Quit: for quitting Desperado.

Episode information (centre section) - This shows the information encoded about each episode (e.g. episode elements, options and criteria).

Navigation (bottom section)- This shows the options for navigating through Desperado. The central buttons switch between stages of episode encoding (data, options and criteria, references, and hierarchy). The buttons on the far left and right are used, either to accept/cancel the edits made to an episode, or to move forwards and backwards through the episode database.

There are five modes of system use. Switching between modes is done either by selecting buttons on the Command bar or by retrieving an episode from the retrieval window.

i. Browse (black background)- In this mode, you can browse through all the episodes in the database. The Browse window is always shown. You cannot modify the text in Browse mode.

ii. Current (green background) - In this mode, you can encode your current episode. Note that when you click on Accept, the episode is stored in the database and can only be amended in Edit mode.

iii. Edit (red background) - In this mode, you can make changes to a previously encoded episode.

iv. Search (white background) - In this mode, you can search for episodes containing named items. Episodes containing the relevant data are retrieved and can be browsed through using the earlier/later buttons on the Navigation bar. If you want to browse through ALL the episodes, click on the button All Episodes when in the Search mode.

v. Retrieve (purple background) ñ when you retrieve an episode from the retrieval window, it is shown in this mode.

Encoding stages

There are four stages to encoding an episode, accessed (in any order you choose) by clicking on the centre buttons on the Navigation bar. These are:

i Episode elements

In this stage, you can use the pop-up menus to encode episode elements (e.g., the question being addressed in this episode, the project name, players, episode type, function being addressed, etc.).

ii Episode QOC

In this stage you can use the pop-up menus to encode options and criteria that address the episode's question. Click on Create New Option/Criterion (and also select OK at the prompt 'Do you wish to edit the new option/criterion?' (a nasty database/browser communication thing!). Click on the pop-up menu next to 'TEXT' and either select an option/criterion from the list or select 'Other...' and type a new name in the box provided.

In order to elicit decision-making information, each option is rated positive, negative or neutral against each criterion, by clicking on a 'Happy /Sad face' icon. A score is then calculated for each option according to the number of +s, -s and 0s in its rating against the criteria. You should aim to rate all the options against all the criteria at least once during an episode. In addition, you can record any decisions you reach about the Status of options, either to Accept a specific option, to Reject a specific option, or leave an option as Proposed without a definitive decision about it.

iii References

In this stage you should record the locations of any documentation that is related to the episode. If the reference is a computer file or Internet URL, you can use Desperado to search for and record the reference location. On retrieval from the database, you can launch the application and document from within Desperado.

iv Hierarchy

Sometimes you might think of another question that you want to pursue that follows on from, or arises out of, your current episode, but you don't want to stop your current work in order to turn to it. By clicking on 'Hierarchy' from the Navigation bar, you can specify a new episode question (working as far as you wish to go with it) before returning to the current episode. This creates a 'consequent' for the current episode. An episode can have any number of consequents. If you subsequently select 'New' to start a new episode, you will be asked whether you want to pursue a consequent of the current episode, if any have been specified, or whether you want a completely new episode.

Retrieval

As you move between encoding stages, a retrieval window will be shown, containing a list of episodes that the system judges may be of use to you (these may contain directly relevant terminology, or may contain ideas, critiques etc aimed at facilitating design thinking. [Note, to hide the window, select the X to kill it: it will then pop up again when you change stages ñ if you merely hide it, it will not pop-up unless you select it from the window bar]. To browse an episode, simply click on the episode required, then use the 'Episode', 'Episode QOC', 'References' and 'Hierarchy' buttons to inspect all the data stored in the episode.

The episodes are shown in prioritised order. A number of different data sources are used for the prioritisation, which also changes depending on what stage you are at in encoding the current episode. You can change the weightings by clicking on the Weight button in the Command bar. You can, for example, add additional weight to episodes containing particular key words, by selecting from the episode elements shown. Alternatively, you can turn other weighting criteria on and off by clicking on the boxes next to the words shown:

Stage

Times added

Times retrieved

Options plus criteria

Total option status