User-Computer Interfaces for Scientific Communication: the Concept of Habitable Interfaces

Developments in computer technology have changed the way we communicate in general and in science in particular. These developments enable the increase in the effectiveness and efficiency of the communication. The actual increase will depend also on the fit between technology and people who are communicating. Proliferation of the digital archives alone does not solve the problem of seeming abundance of scientific information. There are at least two issues that contribute to this. Firstly, more information resources require more attention and time to find those that are needed. Secondly, information or access to information is structured based on some rationale that does not necessarily fit the rationale of a scientist accessing the information. We are primarily interested in the design of interfaces for accessing scientific archives. To design the interfaces such as to improve effectiveness and efficiency of scientific communication, we consider scientific communication as a context within which the technology is applied