8. Interface Support for the Search Process

interface design|( interface design!layout

The user interface designer must make decisions about how to arrange various kinds of information on the computer screen and how to structure the possible sequences of interactions. This design problem is especially daunting for a complex activity like information access. In this section we discuss design choices surrounding the layout of information within complex information systems, and illustrate the ideas with examples of existing interfaces. We begin with a discussion of very simple search interfaces, those used for string search in `find' operations, and then progress to multiwindow interfaces and sophisticated workspaces. This is followed by a discussion of the integration of scanning, selecting, and querying within information access interfaces and concludes with interface support for retaining the history of the search process.

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