Creating a user-friendly database

Volume 17, Number 3 • March 2000

Creating a user-friendly database — A well-designed interface is an important foundation for online success
by Gwen M. Gregory

Presents a very favorable review of "Design Wise: A Guide for Evaluating the Interface Design of Information Resources" ($39.95 hardcover; $29.95 paperback) by Alison J. Head, published in 1999 by CyberAge Books of Medford, NJ. Says that this 196-page book is a guide to computer interface design and is divided into two parts. Reports that the first section is titled "Interface Design Basics" and introduces the concept of HCI (human-computer interactions) and the reasons why librarians should care about design. Notes that the second section delves into "interface design analyses," with chapters on the evaluation of CD-ROMs, Web resources, and online commercial databases. Recommends it an excellent source for librarians who want to learn about HCI and its implications for interface evaluation. Says that any librarian who works with electronic information will find something useful here. Includes a product source guide.