From the Editor
Judy Cantor
Welcome to our last issue of Internetworking in 2000 (although we published it in 2001). The true start of the next century begins with a surge of interest in usability. We are now entering a phase in business where the "User Experience" will be more than an after thought. The services of usability, design, and information professionals are more sought after than ever before. In general, our skills are better recognized, we are more rewarded, and we are becoming a powerful force in the internet revolution. With this power however, comes a huge burden of responsibility. The spotlight is turned on, and we must find more ways to show the value of user-centered marketing, design, and evaluation. It is also our responsibility to find easier, quicker, and more comprehensive methods of completing our tasks, so as to keep up with the rapid change and growth of the Web.
In this issue, we provide 3 articles that significantly improve our understanding of human behavior, and our approach to measurement. James Kalbach provides an insightful review of the literature on how people seek information, and applies these approaches to different kinds of web-based behavior. Then Lawrence Najjar describes a tool that he and his colleagues used while at iXL. They coined the term "conceptual user interface" to show a design that focuses on functional design concepts like how menus work, or the placement of information. They then used this as a piece of the overall approach to design and implementation. Finally, Michael Bernard provides an interesting study of where users expect to find typical web page elements. He looked at common elements such as "home", ad banners, and search engines. He showed that users do indeed have expectations concerning the location of certain web objects. I also encourage you to read our 2 book reviews, one by Eric pPatterson, and the other from Sarah Gilbert. These reviews are invaluable tools to help decide how to get the most information from individual resources.
Happy New Year, and keep those submissions coming!
Judy Cantor
Giant Step
jcantor@giantstep.com
© Internet Technical Group
Last update: January 21, 2001
URL: http://www.sandia.gov/itg/newsletter/dec00/from_the_editor.html