Discusses visualization of legal information using a tool for temporal information called "LifeLines." Explores ways "LifeLines" could aid in viewing the links between original case and direct and indirect case histories. Uses the case of Apple Computer, Inc. versus Microsoft Corporation and Hewlett Packard Company to…

This paper discusses a generic query tool that enables an end user to query a metadata store through filters that impose search criteria on attributes. The Metadata Query Tool (MQT) is generic in the sense that it dynamically creates its user interface, based on configuration files that define the metadata scheme and the query functionalities.…

This paper reports the findings from a field study of legal research in a first-tier law school and on the resulting redesign of XLibris, a next-generation e-book. The report first characterizes a work setting in which an e-book was expected to be a useful interface for reading and otherwise using a mix of physical and digital library materials,…

Anthropomorphism can be defined as the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to inanimate objects. People give names to their automobiles and computers as a way to relate to complicated pieces of technology that they use regularly, but do not fully understand. Software designers may claim that their interfaces are intuitive, but in…

The graphical user interface (GUI) has become something of a standard for instructional programs in recent years. One type of GUI is the metaphorical type. For example, the Macintosh GUI is based on the "desktop" metaphor where objects one manipulates within the GUI are implied to be objects one might find in a real office's desktop.…

This article describes the evolution of computer interface research issues from text-based interface design guidelines to more complex issues, including media selection, interface design, and visual design. This research is then integrated into the Analysis-based Message Design (AMD) process. The AMD process divides the interface design process…

Various schools are struggling with the introduction of Object Oriented (OO) programming concepts and GUI (graphical user interfaces) within the traditional COBOL sequence. OO programming has been introduced in some of the curricula with languages such as C++, Smalltalk, and Java. Introducing OO programming into a typical COBOL sequence presents…

Creating educational software generally requires a great deal of computer expertise, and as a result, educators lacking such knowledge have largely been excluded from the design process. Recently, researchers have been designing tools for automating some aspects of building instructional applications. These tools typically aim for generality,…

Discusses the application of computer based training (CBT) to human-computer interface design. Describes course considerations; courseware; and software environment for practice, and presents a case study outlining small group production of interactive guidebooks. Concludes that CBT can reduce instructional time and is an effective method for…

This document chronicles the development of a hypermedia CD-ROM product that offered information on the island of Cyprus. The hypermedia environment was designed for use by students and educators in eleventh grade up to the college level, and it was intended to fill gaps in multicultural knowledge by enabling individualized, self-paced instruction…

Hypertext is well-suited for educational applications where open learning and knowledge exploration is desired. In such applications, principles of good hypertext interface design should be employed to avoid navigational problems so as to maximize learning. Interface design, however, may also directly enhance acquisition of a particular knowledge…

Summer 1995 saw the release, with considerable media attention, of draft versions of Sun Microsystems' Java computer programming language and the HotJava browser. Java has been heralded as the latest "killer" technology in the Internet explosion. Sun Microsystems and numerous companies including Microsoft, IBM, and Netscape have agreed…

The latest development to come out of ongoing research at Tate Modern, London's new museum of modern art, is i-Map art resources for blind and partially sighted people that are delivered online. Currently i-Map explores the work of Matisse and Picasso, their innovations, influences and personal motivations, as well as key concepts in modern art.…

The development of potentially powerful computer-based tools within rich learning environments is hampered by the constraints of delivery systems (specifically low-resolution, low-real estate displays). In designing a World Wide Web-based tool for manipulating time-based information, the authors have encountered a lack of guidelines or empirical…

Information systems (IS) professionals are called on to produce increasingly sophisticated user interfaces as a part of software development. Although IS education includes coverage of user interface (UI) development, classroom presentation of this topic frequently is cursory and does not provide any particular methodology for the task. In this…