Linda A Macaulay
Professor of System Design / Manchester Business School
The University of Manchester, Booth Street East, M15 6PB
info@lindamacaulay.com

Matching OPAC User Interfaces to User Needs | ||
Duration: | 2 years (1988-1990) | |
Funding body: | British Library | |
Project effort: | 2 person years | |
Grant value: | £51,000 | |
Status: | Principal investigator | |
Industrial collaboration: | British Library | |
Co-investigator: | Dr.Chris Fowler (Behavioural Scientist) | |
The aim of this project was to experiment with the development of adaptive user interfaces to library OPAC systems. Different classes of users were identified (e.g. library staff, children, professors) and different types of interface developed to match their information needs and user characteristics. An Apple Macintosh was used as a ‘front-end’ to an existing OPAC system. A series of experiments were conducted and recommendations about user interface design were made to the British Library. |