Library patrons familiar with Web searching conventions often find library searching to be less familiar and even intimidating. This article describes and evaluates a series of usability research studies employing two different and popular methodologies: user-centered redesign and usability testing. Card sorting and affinity mapping were used to…

In the case of digital collections of text, provision of a simple unified user interface faces several challenges, among them a tension between intellectual adequacy and simplicity of access. Examines the question of how to allow cross-collection searching and display while preserving the variation in texts and their markup and points to…

Explores the concepts of interaction and interactivity presented in different theoretical models in the fields of human-computer interaction (HCI) and information-seeking/searching behavior, and relates these to information retrieval (IR) research. Suggests that interaction in HCI is primarily concerned with establishing a user/system dialogue at…

The QuiltSpace Builder enables Microsoft's multimedia encyclopedia "Encarta" to "fit" into an established home or institutional learning environment so that "Encarta" can be used for productive research. Early observations of the difficulties encountered by Encarta users, coupled with a survey of presently available…

Internet-oriented courses and teaching materials tend to focus on technology. A typical approach covers the basic services (terminal emulation, file transfer, gopher, etc.) and how to use the programs which support them. The development of integrated browsers which adapt to the different protocols of the Internet without the need for user…