Ana-Maria SUDUC, Mihai BÎZOI, Luminiţa DUŢĂ, Gabriel GORGHIU
VALAHIA University of Târgovişte
Bd. Carol I, Nr. 2, 130024, Târgovişte, Dâmboviţa, Romania

Abstract: With the exponential development of the web, the decision-makers are likely to use the web to support their decision -making processes. In group decision-making processes supported by an information system – web-based or desktop-based – one of the most important element which can influence in a great extent if the system will be or not accepted and successful used for decision making, is the user interface. In this paper, we propose an architecture of an interface for an ideal web-based group decision support system.

Keywords and phrases: Interface architectures, web-based interfaces, group decision support.

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CITE THIS PAPER AS:
Ana-Maria SUDUC, Mihai BÎZOI, Luminiţa DUŢĂ, Gabriel GORGHIU, Interface Architecture for a Web-Based Group Decision Support System, Studies in Informatics and Control, ISSN 1220-1766, vol. 18 (3), pp. 241-246, 2009.

1. Introduction

For the user, an appropriate user interface is “the most important determinant of the success of a decision support implementation” [15]. Users expect from developers to create advanced interactive interfaces which are easy to use and easy to learn, without the need of reading many pages of manuals. Unfortunately these interfaces are difficult to design and implement. As user interface became easier to use, they became harder to create [16]. In 1992, the results of a survey [14] indicated that 48% of an application code is dedicated to the user interface. Also the study has shown that 45% of the average time is dedicated to the user interface during

the design phase, 50% during the implementation phase and 37% during the maintenance phase. These results highlight the user interface importance and the need for tools to help developers to create complex interfaces in a shorter time [18]. In group decision support systems, the interface is even harder to design seeing that the interface must create a context for individual experience and also for the common experience. A well-designed user interface makes the user comfortable with the system and also with the other team members. It can also increase human processing speed, reduce errors, increase productivity and create a sense of user control [15].

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