Easy-to-Use Query Forms for Web Databases

by Janette B. Bradley
axsWave Software, Inc.™

This is an edited version of a presentation I gave at the American Society for Information Science Annual Conference (October, 1996). The presentation was in two parts. The first part discusses the use of relational and object-oriented databases for use on the Web.

Web Databases: Introduction to Relational & Object-Oriented Databases

Breakdown of the Typical Requirements

• We want to be able to retrieve complex objects, including: text, images, video clips and sounds.
• We want it to be cool, easy-to-use, and require minimal technical support.

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The Main Problems for Web Query Interfaces

• No one has come up with a really good way of doing natural language queries.
• We have limited bandwidth.
• Our primary interface tool, particularly if it needs to be done fast and cheap, is HTML forms and CGI scripts.
• We tend to have only marketing specs on the users.
• We need it to be cool, easy-to-use, and require minimal technical support.

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The Good News or Tips for Success

• Tip #1
  • Answer the problem of no natural language with some "super" categories.
    • While you can get out of hand with an organizational scheme, you can help the user narrow focus.
    • Yahoo categories are an okay example.

  
  

• Tip #2
  • The best way to handle limited bandwidth for complex objects is with:
    • thumbnails
    • clips
    • abstracts
  • No matter what you use, provide information on how long it will take to download based on
    • speed of modems
    • server load
    • peak times
  • Always keep the user informed about the content on your site and the resource expenditure required to acquire it.

  
  

• Tip #3
  • Make forms easier to use by providing instructions and examples.
  • You can provide examples of items using screen shots and an image editing program.
  • HTML editors make it easy to add text instructions.
  • Hypertext/media features can be used to link words or concepts to a glossary.
  • You can use frames or tables to provide a full-time help window.
  • Java can be used to provide pop-up help (this is one of the best solutions, unfortunately it requires a Java programmer).
  • Forms are not necessarily easy to use! Not everyone understands items such as the following:
    • Pop-up menus
    • That when you type in a text box, you can keep typing and the information will still be submitted, even if you can't see it
    • That you use the mouse to click on each entry box
    • That a radio button allows for only one choice
  • The list of problems is endless. The only way to be sure that things works as you expect is to test your work with a representative sample of your audience
  • Remember:
    • Confusion leads to Lost Sales

  
  

• Tip #4
  • The company's sales force is often the best source for customer information. If you're doing a non-profit site, talk to the people who have to answer questions on the phone or at the information desk. They will have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
  • In many ways, the Web is related to mass media, and broad brush demographics are often the best way to approach your user model. These should be available from either the sales force or an informal survey of people who interact with the customers.
  • Try very hard to find the budget for a task analysis.

  
  

• Tip #5
  • Cool is hard
  • Cool and Database Retrieval is very hard
  • Cool + Retrieval + Usable is very, very hard
  • Except for the unusual individual, no one person has all the cool and all the user-design skills
  • Assemble a team that includes a variety of talents such as a:
    • Graphics Designer/Technical Illustrator
    • Information Designer
    • Programmer
    • Interface Designer
    • Database Expert/Designer

Feel free to contact me with questions or to talk about how the axsWave Software team can help you with your Web site:

Janette B. Bradley (janette@metronet.com)