2. VISUAL INTERFACE DATABASE WITH FISHEYE TECHNOLOGY
Visual Interface Usability Evaluation For Energy Database Collection Project (EDC) of Digital Government Research Center (DGRC)
Peter Sommer
Ju-Ling Shih, Laura Zadoff
Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning

6. About the Project Project Description Project Presentation Video Clip
Project Description (Judith Klavans)
Rationale for Evaluation (Judith Klavans)
Project Presentation
Project Presentation (Surabhan Temiyabutr)
Screen Shot
Old DGUI
New DGUI
Gummy Bear Show
Websites
DGUI
Old Gummy Bear Show
Colorful Gummy Bear Show

7. Goals of Evaluation optimize the effectiveness of the interface,
identify usability problems,
provide feedback on the overall functionality,
anticipate changes in user need that might drive future development,
validate the design,
indicate the extent to which the interface improves on previous interfaces.

8. Methods of Evaluation Contrast Analysis Heuristics Task Analysis
Questionnaires

9. Contrast Analysis Menu System vs. Fisheye Technological User
Functionality
Query efficiency
Friendliness
User
Query styles
Strategies
Easiness
Heuristics: see comparison chart.

10. Comparison Example
e.g. (3.D) Tracing ability. Documentation of search process and task steps to enable users to trace their footprints.
DataGate: DataGate allows you to save files or download datasets onto local drives so the users can continue unfinished work in other time. It allows users to download the queries and print out search results.
Others: Some databases allow users to go back to a previous stage in the query history.
Fisheye: Users can see the context and options on the screen, therefore can go for an alternative path for a query.

11. Analysis of Traditional Database
Query Log Analysis of EDS DataGate
Flexibility in Choosing Variables
Options to Sets of Variables
Options to Adjust Individual Variable
Keyword Search: Search Methods and Syntax
“All” vs. “Any”
“And” vs. “Or”
Modification of Queries
From General to Specific
From Specific to General
Query Log Analysis
Flexibility in Choosing Variables: Menus of sets of variables.
Keyword Search: Search Methods and Search Syntax
- “All” vs. “Any”
- “and” vs. “or”
- If can’t fine anything from “Sprawl” in ALL search, then cannot find “urban sprawl” in ALL search. But if find “urban sprawl” in ANY search, then might get matches in “urban”.
Modification of Queries: General vs. Specific
Interviews

12. Interviews Interdisciplinary Conversation Interviewees: EDS librarians
Jane Weintrop
Nicole Fox
Reference Desk librarians
Jerry Breeze
Alysse Jordan

13. Interview Findings User Type Identification User Goals
Kinds of Questions
Brief History of Search
Types of Searches
Related Terms for Searches
Selecting the database
Learning to use the Interface
Student’s Searching Styles
Searching Styles of Fisheye Design
Flexibility to Searching Styles
Helping the User Define the Search
Standardize Problem
Librarians’ Duty
Suggestions for the Fisheye Design
Related Terms for Searches
- Most common difficulty is to use related terms to define search.
- Functions of Thesaurus and Natural Language Processing can be useful.
Learning to use the Interface
- Search Box is the most common thing, also the standard usage, for everybody in the web age.
- Most students are now accustomed to keyword searches and would be puzzled by other interfaces.
- Younger users might be easier to adopt new interface.
- Automatic Truncation.
Searching Styles of Fisheye Design
- Good for those who are not sure what they are looking for.
- Offer alternatives.
- Users can be overwhelmed by the design.
- Users tend to make the queries too broad or too specific.
Helping the User Define the Search
- “Why are you looking for this?” Instead of “What are you looking for?”
- Users often have difficulties in phrasing what they are looking for.
- Help the users to understand that the results of their first query are not all they can get. They have to modify queries, try another approach, or try another database to find what they want to find.
Suggestions for the Fisheye Design
- Start with a Search Box.
- Indication of the amount and direction of results.
- Record all the searches users do.

14. Heuristics Goal Evaluators Design Heuristics
Usability inspection method targeting on interface design by judging compliances to certain principles for successful design.
Evaluators
Library Staff
Design
Adapted from existing research
Modified for Energy Database
Heuristics
Five Categories
Appearance, Language, Functionality, Structure, Assistance

15. Task Analysis Process Goal Participants Task Scenarios Interview
Observation
Goal
User Behaviors
User Intuitiveness for Different Groups of Users
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Design
Participants
Content Experts
Government Agency Workers
Faculty and Students

16. Questionnaire Upon Completion of the Project Target on Actual Users
Summative Evaluation
Preliminary Questionnaire
Timeline