Uses of Digital Devices 2

As we saw in the previous lesson, digital devices are used in all aspects of life and in all different workplaces.

No matter where you work, digital devices are always an integral part of the business.

In this lesson, we’ll learn about how digital devices are used for:

1. Retail
2. Organisational use
3. Creative tasks

Retail has been transformed thanks to digital devices, both inside the store and outside of it.

Some examples of how digital devices are used for retail include:

• Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS)
• Stock management
• Retail websites

Let’s look at each of these uses in more detail.

Electronic Point of Sale

An EPOS is a computerised checkout till. It uses digital devices to record sales and take payments for them.

For example, barcode readers are used to add new products to a sale and optical mark readers are used to input lottery tickets.

Magnetic ink character readers verify cheques and chip-and-pin devices process card payments.

We can even make contactless payments using our mobile devices with Near-Field Communication (NFC).

This has made the sales process more efficient, increasing speeds & reducing errors.

We now even have self-service EPOS systems, so you don’t need a sales assistant at every till.

Stock Management

Database management systems that run on servers will connect to the EPOS systems.

When a product is sold, this information is sent to the server, & the database will be updated with the new reduced stock level.

Our stock management server can also be connected via the Internet to the servers at our warehouses.

This allows the system to order new stock automatically so that the new stock will arrive before the old stock runs out.

So much of the process of monitoring stock & making orders can be automated that we can save money with fewer admin staff.

This also helps to reduce human error in recording stock levels & ensures that you both don’t run out or order too much stock.

Retail Websites

Most shops have e-commerce websites, which they use to sell and advertise their products over the internet.

To run an online website, all a business needs is a web server to host the site and a PC to develop and maintain it, such as updating prices and adding/removing items.

This is very cheap to do when compared to setting up a brick-and-mortar store.

An additional benefit to the business includes being able to sell their products to a worldwide audience rather than just to people who live in the surrounding area.

They can also make sales 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Businesses use digital devices in many areas to make themselves more efficient.

Digital devices play an important role in many ways, whether it is holding meetings, managing finances, or writing reports.

Some examples of how digital devices are used for organisational use include:

• Administration
• Video conferencing
• Design & manufacturing

Let’s look at each of these uses in more detail.

Administration

Organisations use spreadsheets & accounting software to handle finances, including tracking sales and expenditures and calculating taxes.

Businesses heavily rely on PCs for software such as word processors, desktop publishing, and presentation tools.

This might involve producing a sales report for senior management, a presentation to investors, or brochures to advertise products.

Digital devices are used to distribute information internally and externally.

They enable information sharing via email or local networks and accessing data on mobile devices while on the move.

This all helps to make the business much more productive.

Video Conferencing

Various software packages enable online meetings, reducing the need for face-to-face interactions. A popular example is Citrix GoToMeeting.

These video conferencing software packages allow you to have voice and video conversations like with VoIP.

However, they are designed to have multiple people take part in the meeting.

They also have added features, like the ability to display a presentation and share documents with others in the meeting.

Businesses save time and money by eliminating travel requirements for meetings.

It also helps to support employees with working from home.

Design & Manufacturing

The manufacturing and construction industries heavily rely on digital devices.

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software is used to produce technical drawings, like architectural or product designs.

Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) machinery, like 3D printers, produces objects designed with CAD.

This has made businesses much more efficient, as CAD designs are easily adjustable, and final versions can be swiftly shared with clients via email.

It also helps to reduce human error, as CAM machinery always performs the same task to the same standard.

The creative industry has benefited a lot from the growth of digital devices.

Digital devices are now used to perform most tasks within these industries, almost entirely replacing the older tools once used.

Some examples of how digital devices are used for creative tasks include:

• 3D graphics
• Photo & video editing
• Graphic design

Let’s look at each of these uses in more detail.

3D Graphics

The video game and film industry makes heavy use of personal computers for the creation of 3D graphics.

In the film industry, ‘CG effects’ have heavily replaced older-fashioned physical effects.

In almost every movie released nowadays, you see 3D models produced using digital devices.

This is because it is often quicker and more flexible, as changes can be easily made to a 3D model.

Similarly, most high-end video games use 3D graphics for the game characters and environments.

This has added a new level of realism to video games, and we’re even using Virtual Reality headsets to experience the graphics in 3 dimensions.

Photo & Video Editing

One of the biggest benefits of taking photos and videos using digital cameras is that we can load them onto a PC for editing.

Professional photographers now heavily use both digital cameras and personal computers for this purpose.

This might be fixing the lighting of a picture of a house that an estate agent is selling or removing certain objects from the image.

It could also be removing blemishes, such as spots or red-eye, from a photo of a person.

In addition, the movie industry relies on digital cameras and PCs for filming and editing, enhancing efficiency and flexibility.

Video editing software allows for quick edits, simpler corrections, and easy duplication for backup.

Graphic Design

Personal computers with graphics editing and desktop publishing software are used to create logos, leaflets, brochures, magazines, books, and comics.

Once, graphic designers mainly worked by hand, including manually typesetting books by positioning individual characters on a printing press.

However, we now use desktop publishing software to design layouts and typesetting for books & magazines.

This is much more efficient than manually typesetting a book, which would involve the painstaking positioning of the individual characters.

We can also quickly send the data to printers, such as by email, to produce the final book, magazine, etc.

Retail uses of digital devices include EPOS, stock management & online retail websites.

This has made buying and selling products much more efficient for both businesses and customers.

Organisational uses of digital devices include administration, video conferencing & design and manufacturing.

This has helped save businesses money by reducing staffing numbers and travel requirements.

Creative Task uses of digital devices include 3d graphics, photo & video editing and graphic design.

This has made it much quicker and easier to perform common creative tasks.