Documenting a Day Application Functions

 

Working through the “Documenting a Day” assignment gave me a hands-on look at just how much we rely on different types of software in our daily routines, especially when trying to organize or present information. I used a word processor to journal my day, a spreadsheet to calculate and visualize how I spent my time, a presentation tool to bring that story to life, and reflected on how databases would support even larger-scale organization. Each of these applications served a unique purpose, and together, they helped me understand how choosing the right tool can really shape the outcome of a task.

Starting with the word processor, Microsoft Word, in this case it was the most natural tool for writing out a narrative of my day. It gave me the flexibility to structure my thoughts, use bullets for clarity, and tweak the formatting to make everything easier to read. According to CertMaster Learn Tech+, word processors are specifically designed for creating and editing text-based documents, making them perfect for journals, essays, and reports (Chapter 6.2). Their simplicity and flexibility are major advantages, but they’re not designed for data analysis or in-depth visuals. Outside of this assignment, I regularly use Word for the majority of my written assignments here at UAGC, personal notes, and drafting anything that requires polished written communication.

Excel, on the other hand, let me take that same set of activities and look at them in a completely different way. I entered the hours I spent on each task, calculated the percentages, and created a pie chart that showed where my time actually went. What stood out to me was how quickly I could verify that everything added up to 24 hours, and how clearly the chart displayed my daily balance, or lack there of. As the textbook explains, spreadsheet applications are powerful for analyzing, organizing, and visualizing numerical data (CertMaster Learn Tech+, 2022). The downside is that Excel can feel a little intimidating at first, especially when using formulas or formatting tools. But once I got the hang of it, I saw how useful it could be for things like budgeting, time tracking, or even project planning.

When it came time to present everything visually, PowerPoint gave me the structure I needed to create a slide-by-slide walkthrough of my day. I added suggested graphics, labeled each task clearly, and noted where animations could bring it all to life. The strength of presentation software is its ability to combine text and images in a way that’s engaging for the audience. However, it can be easy to focus too much on the visuals and not enough on the content if you're not careful. That said, I could definitely see myself using PowerPoint to create training modules or share updates in a team meeting, any time I need to communicate something clearly and visually. Research suggests that productivity and cognitive performance can vary significantly depending on the medium used; visual and multimodal formats often improve comprehension and retention in comparison to text alone (Oviatt, Arthur, & Cohen, 2006).

Although I didn’t directly build a database for this assignment, I did spend time thinking about how useful they are for organizing large amounts of information. CertMaster Learn Tech+ points out that databases are ideal when information needs to be accessed, related, and updated efficiently over time (Chapter 6.2). They’re especially good for long-term data, like tracking inventory or storing customer profiles. The tradeoff is that they’re a bit more technical, setting up relationships between tables, running queries, and designing interfaces takes more skill than opening a spreadsheet or typing into Word. Still, for scenarios that involve recurring or large-scale data, they’re the best tool for the job.

Looking at all four tools, I found Excel to be the most useful for this particular assignment. It let me capture time data, ensure accuracy with formulas, and create a visual representation of how my day unfolded. As a visual learner, this helped me really understand how my day is represented, and things I could move around to become more or less productive, as the situation presents. The pie chart alone made it easier to reflect on my habits than reading a journal entry ever could. While Word helped me tell the story and PowerPoint helped me present it, Excel helped me understand it.

Overall, this assignment helped me appreciate the different strengths of common software applications and how they can be applied in everyday tasks. Word processors are great for structured text, spreadsheets for analysis, presentation tools for communication, and databases for large-scale data management. Knowing when and how to use each one gives me a stronger foundation—not just for this course, but for academic, professional, and personal projects going forward.