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Social Science Information Center, GESIS Branch Office, Schiffbauerdamm 19, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Correspondence to: Maximilian Eibl, E-mail: eibl@berlin.iz-soz.de

Human computer interaction; media design; interface design; aesthetics; product language; software evaluation; document retrieval

Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Media Design are two separated schools that have few common goals in the area of designing user interfaces. Whereas HCI places the accent on the most effective operation, media design emphasizes the aesthetic aspect. Thus, the design of a user interface offers a choice between the effective ugliness of ergonomics and the hard-to-use elegance of media design. One example of the successful integration of both schools is the DEViD (media design and software ergonomics integrating visualization for document retrieval systems) visualization described in this article. DEViD supports users in searching databases and integrates Boolean retrieval as well as probabilistic ranking and vague retrieval within one single interface. DEViD was created through cooperation between HCI and media design. Participants in this cooperation were the Social Science Information Center, Bonn (Germany), the University of Koblenz (Germany) and the School of Design, Offenbach (Germany).

Information Visualization (2002) 1, 139-157. doi:10.1057/palgrave.ivs.9500017