A prototype reference from April 2005
Visual Search: ArchChive User Research
On 3 April 2005, Anjali Arora invited readers of the ArchChive User Testing blog to try a prototype at this address. She described a web-based collaborative tool for project management, with data visualisation as a central design idea.
From text lists to visual information
The invitation contrasted a visual presentation of data with the long text lists common in other applications. Arora asked participants whether the change improved the experience and what they would like to see added. The source records the question being tested rather than a completed product release.
The surrounding project notes discuss the information sought by team members and project managers, including tasks, documents, contacts, calendars and schedules. Together, they place the prototype within a practical problem: helping people find relevant information while working on a shared project.
Read the project notes
The first-party testing blog survives and still points to this address. Its April 2005 posts provide the context for the prototype. A working version of that original application is not available in this edition.
For a related approach to retrieving personal information, continue to the later FoundIt project and its tour.