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Excerpt
The design or repair of any interactive browser-based information system such as a digital library requires consideration of humans needing to perform the search, of information systems containing the desired content, and of their interactions. Indeed, those information systems not only need to provide useful content, but must also present that content in a way that results in an efficient, effective, and satisfying user experience for the person needing the content.6,7,9,10 Formative usability evaluations enable the detection of a certain number of usability defects such as difficulty of learning and using the system, high error rate, and so on, and the estimation of the degree of seriousness of the defect.1,8 The usability evaluation generally is a 1-time process and is only geared at detecting those aspects of a user interface that may cause the resulting system to have reduced usability. These techniques do not focus on how well the interface supports users in their search tasks, nor do they take in consideration the overall environment in which the search task is performed.2,3
In the present study, human computer interactions and search behaviors are studied in their natural environment. Web logs are used to detect patterns of cognitive activities as well as behaviors that occur within human-computer interactions. The aim is to develop a "tell and ask" functional interface for a digital nursing library, where the professional-the nurse-communicates with the knowledge base by making logical assertions (tell) and posing questions (ask)4 based on her/his professional discourse.
The original 1979 resolution for Sigma Theta Tau International VHINL called for "a national nursing library resource offering services to nurses and those interested in nursing" and, soon after that, an additional call for "a national clearinghouse for information regarding nurse researchers and nursing research." Ten years later, the first computer was purchased for VHINL, enabling the beginnings of an electronic library. With that development and the establishment of a database that stored findings of research studies, nursing knowledge was made available in an electronic format.5 In 2001, a "revisioning the library" meeting was convened, and participants framed their vision in the context of the dramatic technology changes that have occurred in the 10 years since the VHINL purchased its first computer. The call is now to extend the VHINL functions to provide access to global knowledge resources and connections made possible by the World Wide Web, as well as retaining and enhancing the rich legacy of knowledge modeling while supporting nursing practice and research.
