‘Europe in the Round’: Principles and Practice of Screen Design

Abstract

SUMMARY ‘Europe in the Round’ was a project designed to test the hypothesis that a combination of hypertext with mass storage would make a powerful learning tool. Its outcome has been a saleable product for anyone interested in education, training and work in the European Community with access to Macintosh or IBM‐compatible computers. Screen design, scripting and navigation reflected the need to give easy access to 10,000 richly interconnected screens presenting data at many levels. Making the system ‘translator‐friendly’ was also a design constraint. Considering users’ needs and hardware, we found that text and graphics gave a cost‐effective media mix. The Collections feature allows users to create slide shows simply by mouse‐click, drawing on the system as a resource. The project team needed strong editorial input and a professional graphic designer to ensure consistency and coherent screen design. We benefited greatly from several cycles of field‐testing, starting early in the system's development.