FOUR ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Useful information systems need to be readable, browsable, searchable, and provide interactive assistance.

In order to be useful, any information must be readable, browsable, and searchable. With increasing size and complexity of today's information systems, interactive user assistance is becoming a necessary feature as well. These sections outlines these qualities so you, as an information system manager, can incorporate them into your HTTP services.

An information system, in the present context, is any organized collection of information. In our culture, information systems abound. The dash board of our cars are information systems. Maps are information systems. World Wide Web servers are no exception. While World Wide Web servers are primarily intended to be an electronic publishing medium they are also information systems. In order to be most effective, all but the smallest of information systems must be readable, browsable, as well as searchable.

All of these qualities (readability, browsability, and searchability) do not have to be equally represented in every information system. As your collection of information increases, different aspects of these qualities take on greater significance. Thus, the amount of readability, browsability, and searchability your information system exhibits depends on the type and quality of your collected data, as well as the information needs of your clientele.