A graphical database interface for casual, naive users

This paper is concerned with some aspects of database interfaces for casual, naive users. A “casual user” is defined as an individual who wishes to execute queries once or twice a month, and a “naive user” is someone who has little or no expertise in operating computers. The study focuses on a specific group of casual, naive users, analyzes their needs and proposes a solution. The proposed interface consists of a graphical display of a model of a database and a natural language query language. One of the unique properties of the database interface is that it allows the user to see local item names within the context of a global structure. The interface was then tested to determine whether it was acceptable to the user population and to discover the level of graphical model that the users would find most comfortable.