Electronic Military History: A User-Centred Approach to a Web-Based Information System

Abstract

This paper describes the design and implementation of a web-based information system relating to military history. The data is “non-traditional” in nature being chronologically based and relates the participants in World War 1 to their locations. Its purpose is to allow interrogation by a wide cross section of the community who seek to find the location of particular servicemen who took part in the Great War. The interface uses time dependent maps to enable inquirers to follow the progress of individual participants in the conflict. Activity Theory is used as a means of relating the system to the users by its focus on the computer as a tool which meshes into the users real life activity