User friendliness and human‐computer interaction in online library catalogues

Abstract

The notion of user friendliness is discussed in terms of the relationship between interface design and the nature of human‐computer interaction in OPACs. Menu driven interfaces, boolean searching and document representation are identified as major barriers to interaction. It is argued that user friendly interfaces cannot be developed independently without developments in the functionality of the search software and enhancements of the raw database. WIMP environments, probabilistic retrieval and knowledge base structures are suggested as a combined strategy to improve the quality of interaction in online catalogues.