Brief description of videotex systems is followed by recommendations for the design of database structure, command language, and screen format. How users search through the database is described and evaluations of the underlying tree structure are reviewed. Information sources on other aspects of videotex besides usability are listed. (MBR)

The concepts of usability and user-centered design (UCD) have grown in popularity over the past 20 years as measured by the number of research and mainstream articles devoted to their discussion. As with all new developments, however, there are always the questions of how things work in practice compared to theory. A survey of 83 software…

A two-phase ethnographic study conducted over the course of two semesters examined a project to create a web site on the Internet. Subjects were enrolled in either a "Features Writing for Business and Industry" course or an "Advanced Technical Writing" course at an open-admissions university offering a major in Professional…

ADAPT[IT] (Advanced Design Approach for Personalized Training - Interactive Tools) is a European project within the Information Society Technologies program that is providing design methods and tools to guide a training designer according to the latest cognitive science and standardization principles. ADAPT[IT] addresses users in two significantly…

This bulletin provides guidance on school building design in Britain for the 21st century, including issues such as increased use of information and communication technology, opening up the school to the wider community, more flexible learning patterns, inclusion of special educational needs pupils in mainstream schools, sustainability, and design…

Designing instructionally sound Web courses is a difficult task for instructors who lack experience in interaction and Web-based instructional design. Learning theories and instructional strategies can provide course designers with principles and design guidelines associated with effective instruction that can be utilized in the design of…

This paper compares and discusses the results from two user studies of interactive television (ITV) with a total of 50 subjects. The interfaces of two different ITV information services were studied: one with a place-like interface rich in graphics, animation and audio, and the other a simple interface with text and still images. In the first…

This research begins to refine a cognitive model of interactive information seeking for use in the design of information retrieval (IR) systems. The research reported in this paper critically examines several interactive information seeking and retrieval models that have emerged over the last two decades. Building primarily on the stratified…

"Design Inspection Reviews" are structured meetings in which participants follow certain rules of procedure and behavior when conducting detailed readings of design plans to identify errors and misunderstandings. The technique is widely used in the software engineering industry, where it is demonstrably more effective than testing at…

This paper introduces the concept of a reusable assessment framework (RAF). An RAF contains a library of linked assessment design objects that express: (1) specific set of proficiencies (i.e. the knowledge, skills, and abilities of students for a given content or skill area); (2) the types of evidence that can be used to estimate those…

Reviews a recent study on university-community tension and urban campus form. Finds that the use of physical and social indicators in evaluating form-related tensions to be insufficient and inconclusive. Contends that future such studies call for an interdisciplinary approach. (Author/JN)

Three evaluations (general preference, balance, and dynamics) were made for paintings presented simultaneously in artist-created and mirror-image views. For short (5 second) exposures, results showed consistent selection over diverse contents of paintings with a left-to-right figure sequence. Implications for perception and aesthetics are…

The purpose of this study was to provide a task on which subjects could indicate their preferences for linear or painterly art work and to determine if such preferences are related to some traditional measures of cognitive/perceptual style, chosen because they appear to relate to whole/part perception. (Author)

In Manteo, North Carolina, community involvement in planning and design phases of community revitalization led to recognition of the town's "sacred structure"--highly valued places essential to social processes, lifestyle, and sense of place. Identification and preservation of these places allowed community development without negative…

Describes the design philosophy of an architect who remodels and builds public libraries. Reviews the author's work on the Cohoes Public Library (New York) and the Saratoga Springs Public Library (New York). Discusses how architects create memorable public buildings by reading about and understanding sites, by working closely with communities, and…