Abstract
ABSTRACTGeoportals play a major role in geospatial data distribution to end-users like researchers and engineers. For maximum effectiveness, an intuitive and comprehensive graphical user interface (GUI) is a paramount property of such portals. GeoVITe (GEOdata Visualization and Interactive Training Environment) is a geodata-sharing portal, providing ETH Zurich employees with direct access to geoinformation and geoservices. The guiding functional requirement for the GeoVITe geoportal is that a user should visually (spatially, thematically and temporally) navigate the spatial data, select the desired dataset and area and directly download the required data in a straightforward manner through a user-friendly GUI running in a standard Web browser. After several improvements that have been made to GeoVITe since its wide-spread launch in 2010, the user interface of GeoVITe was recently put under scrutiny with the help of a usability evaluation. Results showed multiple possibilities for improvement, belonging to one of three categories: (i) distribution of GUI elements, (ii) concentration on relevant functionality and (iii) improvements to the geodata download workflow. Based on these findings, three key recommendations for designing a geoportal can be made: (i) full-screen map with simple navigation, (ii) instant user feedback and (iii) multifunctional search. Further work will require an assessment of the presented redesign as a next step in the iterative process of GUI design improvement.
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