Discusses usability as an interface design concept to improve information retrieval on the World Wide Web. Highlights include criteria for a usable Web site; usability testing; usability resources on the Web; and a sidebar that gives an example of usability testing by Hewlett-Packard. (LRW)

Describes the implementation of FromTo-CLIR, a Web-based natural-language interface for cross-language information retrieval that was tested with Korean and Japanese. Proposes a method that uses a semantic category tree and collocation to resolve the ambiguity of query translation. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study that investigated users' perceptions of ease of use versus user control in Web-based online information retrieval (IR) systems. Discusses desired features and functionalities as well as desired interface structures that support both ease of use and user control. (Author/LRW)

Discusses multimedia Web site design that may include images, animations, audio, and video. Highlights include interfaces that stress user-centered design; using only relevant media; placing high-demand content on secondary pages and keeping the home page simpler; providing information about the media; considering users with disabilities; and user…

Presents a framework for interface design that provides people with flexible control over different views for an information space, particularly on the World Wide Web. The agileviews framework defines overviews, previews, reviews, peripheral views, and shared views that help people make decisions about where they should focus attention during…

TheBrain was created to take advantage of the most powerful information processor in existence - the human mind. Explains products of TheBrain Technologies Corporation,, which has developed computer interfaces to help individual users and corporations organize information in ways that make sense to them in the proper context. Describes a…

Describes CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts that are available on the Web and explains how librarians can use them to make Web pages more interactive. Topics include CGI security; Perl scripts; UNIX; and HTML. (LRW)

Investigates Web site design factors and their impact from a theoretical perspective. Presents a two-factor model that can guide Web site design and evaluation. According to the model, there are two types of design factors: hygiene and motivator. Results showed that the two-factor model provides a means for Web-user interface studies. Provides…

Examines trends in World Wide Web searching; reviews new search services; and describes changes in major Web search services. Highlights include commercial sites, subject access, target audience, custom interfaces, concept searching, and results lists. (LRW)

Discusses user interaction with museum application interfaces and emphasizes the importance of adaptable and adaptive interfaces to meet differing user needs. Considers levels of support that can be given to different users during navigation of museum hypermedia information, using examples from the Web site for the Marble Museum (Italy).…

Describes a collaborative effort to explore user needs in a digital library, develop interface prototypes for a digital library, and suggest and prototype tools for digital librarians and users at the Library of Congress. The design process and results are described and suggestions for future work are offered. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study where 66 subjects were asked to perform some predefined book purchasing task in a series of Web sites with varying interface quality. A strong relationship between interface quality and trust was found and some components of user interface quality were more important than others. Discusses implications for Web site design.…

Outlines the generic features of enterprise information portal applications, or corporate portals, which provide users with access to internal and external information resources through a customizable Web browser interface. Examines approaches being taken by vendors, many of whom are adapting software developed for document management and…

Findings from a study of users' multitasking searches on Web search engines include: multitasking searches are a noticeable user behavior; multitasking search sessions are longer than regular search sessions in terms of queries per session and duration; both Excite and AlltheWeb.com users search for about three topics per multitasking session and…

Describes MusiCat, an experimental user interface designed in Denmark that reflects the different ways that patrons think when searching for musical material on the Web. Discusses technology versus content; search trees that use a hierarchy of subject terms; and usability testing. (LRW)