1. Project management
2. Problem and solution overview
3. Task analysis
4. Suggested solution
5. Experiment outline

1. Project management
Suzanne Ginsburg is collaborating with U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum staff members, including a database developer, a researcher, and a programmer. The Survivors Registry Director and Outreach Technology Director both provide guidance on the overall direction of the project (see high-level organizational chart.)

2. Problem and solution overview
2.1 Overview
Considerable time and effort is required to access resources to help trace the individual histories of Holocaust survivors and victims. In an effort to provide broader access to a diverse set of resources, the Holocaust Museum plans to merge all of their related electronic resources, with the goal of making them available through their Web site. Based on interviews with target users and analyses of their existing search practices, different browsing and search tools are proposed that facilitate access to these valuable historical resources.

2.2 Analysis of the problem
Individuals and organizations may submit a survivor or victim search request to the Survivors Registry via phone, letter, or email (See examples with names omitted for privacy reasons: example 1, example 2.). Because of staff constraints, it can take more than a week to process each request, which may require searching through several print and electronic resources, contacting the person who made the request for additional information, and iterating through many spelling variations. Yad Vashem and the International Red Cross provide search services and have similar constraints. The Museum also provides public access to two electronic resources, Auschwitz prisoner registration forms and the Registry of Holocaust Survivors (see screen grab of interface). Although the former is accessible via a free-text search on their Web site, the latter can only be searched by last name in the Learning Center located on the second floor of the Museum. Survivors often search for information about other survivors from their region, thus the last name only search makes it difficult to locate these individuals. The browse tools provided alleviate many of the problems associated with name spelling variations; similar tools have not been incorporated into the Auschwitz resource. The Learning Center reference space also has several deportation lists, labor camp registration forms, and memorial books, but staff assistance is generally required to even begin working with these documents, as they are not catalogued and search tutorials are not available at this time. Moreover, many individuals may have limited information about the survivor's or victim's whereabouts during the War. As most of these resources were compiled by place, the individual has no choice but to search each list separately.

3. Task analysis
3.1 Target users and tasks
Based on observations made in the Learning Center and interviews with Survivors Registry staff members, a table of target users and task types was constructed below. Survivors, and friends and relatives of survivors or victims usually search for information about a specific individual or town. Similarly, the Survivors Registry and genealogists are often looking for information on behalf of individuals, thus they would be more likely to conduct a targeted search. Museum historians, and outside researchers and institutions typically search for information about a particular town or place as part of a book or research project, suggesting that search tools would be used frequently. Educators use resources, such as the Survivors Registry in the Learning Center, as an exploratory tool, and seemed more likely to access information through browsing rather than search. The general public uses these types of resources in a similar manner, however, their experience may be limited to an isolated Museum or Web site visit. Finally, most users would benefit from information about the project and its resources, however, individuals not associated with the Museum may utilize these tools more frequently. The ability to make a connection implies that the user can identify a person listed in more than one resource as the same individual. Survivors and their families as well as Registry staff, historians, and researchers are more likely to make these types of connections.

Target users and frequency of tasks
	Search for				Browse				Learn about		Make
User type	Individual	Family	Town	Image	Names	Towns	Resource	Images	Resources	Project	connection
Survivors	12%	12%	12%	12%	11%	11%	11%	11%	12%	12%	25%
Friends/relatives of survivors	12%	12%	12%	12%	11%	11%	11%	11%	12%	12%	15%
Registry staff	12%	12%	12%	12%	11%	11%	11%	11%	8%	8%	10%
Museum Historians	12%	12%	12%	12%	11%	11%	11%	11%	8%	8%	10%
Outside Researchers	12%	12%	12%	12%	11%	11%	11%	11%	12%	12%	10%
Outside Institutions	12%	12%	12%	12%	11%	11%	11%	11%	12%	12%	10%
Genealogists	12%	12%	12%	12%	11%	11%	11%	11%	12%	12%	10%
Educators	8%	8%	8%	8%	11%	11%	11%	11%	12%	12%	5%
General public	8%	8%	8%	8%	11%	11%	11%	11%	12%	12%	5%

3.2 Interview questions and results of interviews
Three different sets of interview questions were developed for five of the nine user types described above. Although there are some similarities in the types of questions posed, the unique needs of educators, in particular, required a completely different set of questions. Individuals interviewed included two Survivors Registry staff members, one genealogist, four survivors, two relatives of survivors, and one educator. With the exception of two of the survivors, everyone interviewed had experience with computers and the Web. Given more time and resources, the project could benefit from interviews with additional members of these groups as well as historians, outside researchers and institutions, and the general public.

3.2.1 Survivors Registry and Genealogist
In response to the question about the reasons behind searches, both groups said that most people look for information about themselves, relatives, and their respective towns (See example search requests with names omitted for privacy reasons: example 1, example 2.). Registry staff members also cited requests for documents for applications to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. With regard to the information brought to searches, first and last name, and birthplace or pre-War residence were provided in many cases. In the Survivors Registry, resources used in conducting these searches included electronic and print copies of ghetto resident lists, labor camp registration forms, deportation lists, and memorial books, while the genealogist favored CD-ROMs and online resources such as JewishGen. In terms of the challenges encountered in their searches, both groups cited the problems with name variations, incomplete survivor or victim histories, and the need to search multiple resources. DM-Soundex and NIMA were the resources used most often to overcome the challenges associated with name variations. Extensive experience searching for individuals, and knowledge of related languages and geographic regions influenced search techniques. For example, a member of the Registry staff, originally from the Ukraine, can speak several European languages and is familiar with post-War town and regional name changes. When he comes across a request with limited geographical information, i.e., no place of birth, based on just the name he can often identify the region the individual may have come from.

Interview questions: Survivors Registry and Genealogist 1. What are the different reasons behind most searches? 2. What kind of information do people typically bring to their search? 3. What types of resources do you use when conducting searches? 4. What are some of the challenges encountered while conducting a search? 5. What kind of resources or techniques do you use to try and overcome these challenges?

3.2.2 Survivors, Friends and Relatives of Survivors and Victims
Most survivors and survivor relatives surveyed said they looked for information about family members and their respective towns. In terms of the information brought to their searches, both groups could usually provide first and last name, and place of birth, with fewer people knowing the exact date of birth. Resources used in conducting their searches included services such as the Survivors Registry, the International Red Cross and Yad Vashem. In terms of the challenges encountered, both groups cited limited knowledge of the resources available and problems with name variations. For example, because of language barriers, among other issues, between the individuals recorded and the clerks who entered the information, many of the names and places contain spelling errors and typos. During the War many people had aliases and after the War many people married or changed their names for other reasons, thus it is difficult to determine which name the individual may have been entered under. Moreover, after over fifty years, survivors searching for information often have difficulty recollecting the precise spelling of names. DM-Soundex and lists of name spelling variations were the resources used to try and overcome these challenges, however, in many cases they had limited success. Many people also contacted relatives to try and find additional information about the individual.

Interview questions: Survivors, Friends and Relatives of Survivors 1. Have you ever searched for information about yourself or someone you knew that was impacted by the Holocaust? If so, what kind of resources or services did you use? What did you find most and least effective about these services? 2. Who did you search for information about? 3. What kind of information did you bring to your search? 4. What challenges did you encounter during your search, and how did you overcome them?

3.2.3 Holocaust Educators (K - 12)
Holocaust studies are typically introduced in the eighth grade, often including discussions on anti-Semitism and reading the Diary of Anne Frank. Schools may also visit local museums that address the Holocaust, for example, many schools on the East Coast visit the Holocaust Museum as part of their annual eighth grade trip to Washington. When asked about the use of electronic resources in the classroom, the educator interviewed indicated that they did not play a significant role and seemed to have difficulty envisioning their benefits. Although many educators might have similar views, in the next iteration greater effort will be put forth to also incorporate the opinions of educators with experience using Web based resources in the classroom.

Interview questions: Holocaust Educators 1. What types of resources are used by Holocaust educators? If you answered the Internet, what types of services do they find valuable? If they don't use the Internet, please explain why. 2. When are Holocaust studies typically introduced? How does the curriculum vary with grade? 3. What types of projects and school trips are incorporated into the Holocaust curriculum? 4. If the service described were introduced, would it be appropriate for K-12? Please explain why or why not. If you answered yes, how might you incorporate it into lesson plans? 5. How are the Survivors Registry and Auschwitz records currently used by educators?

3.3 Three scenarios of example task sequences
Survivor: Abe was in the Lodz ghetto during the War and immigrated to the States in 1946. After reading a recent biography about a woman from Lodz, he remembers a man in the ghetto who helped him when he became seriously ill with pneumonia. His last name was Weissman, but Abe can not remember his first name. Abe wonders what might have happened to this man.

Registry Staff: A letter arrives from a woman in Russia looking for information about her cousin Dora Kahane who was born in Maciejow, Poland in 1921, and might have immigrated to the States or Israel after the War. She heard from another cousin that Dora married a man with the last name of Goldman, or possibly Goldberg, during the War.

Educator: An eighth grade public school teacher has just finished reading The Diary of Anne Frank with her social studies class. She would like her students to understand that there were many other young people who had similar experiences during the Holocaust. She gives them an assignment to try and develop a biography of a teenager who experienced the Holocaust.

4. Suggested solution
4.1 Functionality
Initially, users will able to access information from four different resources: French deportation lists, prisoner registration forms from Auschwitz, the Registry of Survivors, and lists of Lodz Ghetto residents. These resources were selected based on the time periods covered and the ability to make connections with the other resources. For example, many of the individuals deported from France were sent to Auschwitz, and several Auschwitz survivors are entered in the Registry of Survivors. With the exception of the Lodz Ghetto, related images are provided for each resource. In the case of Auschwitz, there are scanned images of the original registration forms (see example form), containing information such as the arrest and entry date. The French deportation lists are organized by transport, with each convoy including about 1000 individuals. Each scanned image (see example list) contains information about twenty-five individuals from a particular convoy. Many of the people entered in the Registry of Survivors submitted photos of themselves that will also be made available. Resources without images for each individual, such as the Lodz Ghetto, may contain a sample image related to the collection.

Several tools will be provided to help users overcome many of the challenges cited by the interviewees in Section 3. For example, most people had difficulty determining the spelling of surnames and towns. With the DM-Soundex coding system, users can retrieve alternate spellings and select which ones satisfy their search criteria. Similarly, users uncertain about a name ending can use wildcards and partial text matching to retrieve possible names, such as Stein* to retrieve Steinberg and Steinman. In situations where the user has a limited amount of information or the resource is inaccurate, browse tools can help users view names of people and towns. In an effort to provide a starting point for users, a handful of sample traces will be included on the opening page. Once the lo-fi prototype is developed, perhaps feedback from educators could help expand these traces into more specialized teaching tools. Users will also be able to obtain provenance information about the resources included and links to related resources.

4.2 User interface
When users first access the system, they will be presented with a start screen (see start screen), including links to system features and links back to major sections of the Museum site. Before starting their search, users will be encouraged to view some sample traces showing how other users found information about a particular individual. Suggestions on how to search most effectively will also be included in the help section. Browsing the system can be accomplished by using two possible layouts (see layout 1 and layout 2.) The first option presented would allow users to browse a master list of names broken down into smaller lists with links to the individual names, whereas the latter option would provide similar information in a frame-oriented environment. User tests with the lo-fi prototype will help determine which browsing interface is most effective.

Users who select the Advanced Search option, will be presented with a search form (see search form and flowchart). The "Select type" options help distinguish name and date types, for example, an individual may be entered under their maiden, alias, or pre-war name. All of these types and the "Select resource" option will default to "Select all." Users uncertain about a specific date, may search this field with limited information, such as year only or month and year. As mentioned above, the search tools available will be DM-Soundex, wildcards, and partial-text matching. DM-Soundex users can choose from the spelling variations (see soundex form) before submitting their search. After the search has been submitted results will appear in a columnar format, with the name linked to a record containing additional information depending on the resource of origin. If another individual in the system is included in the record, a link will be provided to their record(s). Note that the columnar format also contains links to more information about the resources. Improvements need to be made in the display of family and person IDs, for example, using icons or shadings to indicate that individuals are part of the same family. Large images will be linked to a separate page via a thumbnail image. An additional layout option for the search results (see search frames layout) allows users to revise their search and see the new results within the same window. This layout also provides a way to view short and long formats on the same screen.

The scenarios described in Section 3 can be supported by the interfaces just described. For example, although Abe does not remember Mr. Weissman's first name, the system enables him to either search by last name and resource, or browse the names included in the Lodz Ghetto resource (see storyboard 1). The Registry staff member may also conduct their search with ease, as the "Select type" option will enable them to search by Dora's maiden and married names. In addition, the wildcard feature will enable the staff member to retrieve Goldman, Goldberg, and other variations of the stem Gold (see storyboard 2). Finally, although the students can probably piece together a biography of some sort, additional effort must be put into developing customized tools for educators.

4.3 Drawings of proposed interfaces
Start screen
Advanced search
Advanced search flowchart
Advanced search with Soundex
Advanced search frames layout
Browse option 1
Browse option 2
Storyboard: Scenario 1
Storyboard: Scenario 2

5. Experiment outline
To determine whether the proposed designs would indeed provide a valuable service, individuals from five of the nine user groups have agreed to test the designs on a set of predefined searches. For the informal experiment, a smaller group of participants will be presented with paper prototypes of the different search and browse options, and asked to perform simple search tasks. Based on their experiences with these designs, adjustments will be made before proceeding to the formal study described below.

Independent variables: Types of browsing and search tools, amount of information displayed in short and long formats, and views for different user types.
Dependent variables: Subjective issues such as user preference, search success, and the quality of their experience with the system.
Participants: Museum staff, genealogists, survivors, relatives of survivors and victims, and educators.
Methods: Using different search and browse tools, participants will be asked to search for additional information on a particular individual, family, or town based on a profile provided by the experimenter. Experiment observations will be recorded in a journal and possibly via audio tape.
Results: Experiment results should indicate that the system facilitates access to multiple resources about the individual histories of Holocaust survivors and victims.