Designer's Gallery - EPSS Design Ideas: articles that describe and illustrate ideas for enhancing the usability and performance support features of software applications1.
Understanding the VA HyperFAQ
WebWord.com: An interview with Basil White, the driving force behind the VA HyperFAQ, an alternative navigation system for the Veterans Administration Web site. It indexes the top 50% of all hits to the site by asking simple yes-no questions of users until the appropriate content is concise enough to list on a single page of links. (2001-06-03)Grasmick's U.S. Visa Selector
This page illustrates how HTML can be used to create a decision guide that lets users find the appropriate action for a given set of conditions. This particular design uses graphic buttons, but hypertext links would work just as well. In this example all the questions and answers are on one page but it would also be possible to put each question and answer on a separate page. To me, this page illustrates one of the real strengths, but very underutilized capabilities of HTML. (2000-12-17)LifeLines for Visualizing Patient Records
This page contains screen shots and java applet examples of a software interface for navigating and presenting an overview of patient records. The interface is based on a timeline that shows a patients aliments, treatments and prescriptions over time. A very interesting and innovative design. (2000-07-23)Concepts for Improved Visualization of Web Link Attributes
Pop-up Error Messages This page describes a technique for displaying pop-up error messages that look like tooltips. This technique can substantially simplify the detection and correction of data entry problems. The page contains an interactive HTML example of this technique, but you will need IE5 to see it. (1999-06-29)
This paper explores and describes a method for displaying additional information about a hyperlink. The method uses a pop-up layer to display additional information such as the page title, when it was last visited, etc. (via tremendo.com) (2000-06-11)EPSS in HTML
This EPSScentral example demonstrates the feasibility of using HTML files and a web browser as the backbone of an Electronic Performance Support System. This example contains frames and is best viewed with Netscape Navigator 2.2 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0.Hyperlink Execution
This EPSScentral article describes how you can use an ActiveX component and a Macro program to perform actions in an existing software program by clicking a hyperlink in an intranet Document or HTML Help topic. (Oct-18-98)Interactive Guides (About)
This EPSScentral article describes a relatively new a method for adding intrinsic and interactive support information to software. (Updated-Aug-24-97)Interactive Guides (Online Example)
This EPSScentral online demo illustrates a method for adding intrinsic and interactive support information to a browser-based application. (Aug-24-97)The Message Box
Their down right ugly and not overly helpful, but every program has them in spades. This EPSS InfoSite articles explores the roots of the ubiquitous message box (a.k.a "The Error Message") and how we can improvement their design and usage. (Sep-03-97)The Option List
This EPSScentral article describes some ideas for enhancing the usability and performance support features of the option lists that provide users with a predefined list of selectable values. It includes an online demo of one of the proposed ideas. (Aug-11-97)
Semantic Snapping
This web page describes a simple idea for enhancing the usability of drag and drop operations. (Oct-05-97)ToolTips for Dialogs
This PC Magazine Online technical article demonstrates how to implement ToolTips in dialog boxes and property pages and not just tool bars. You can use the technique described in this article to add ToolTips to fields, buttons and field labels. This can be a very useful technique for communicating field formatting information on a crowded interface. (Oct-31-98)What is in the realm of possibilities may not be possible.
This EPSScentral articles explores the possible benefits of including information in an EPSS about things that are within the realm of possibilities but which are not possible within the specific business processes. (Aug-13-97)