Usability and Database Design Dependencies in a Department of Defense Application

User interface issues as well as application development issues related to the interdependency between usability goals and database design goals are described in the context of an on-going project funded by a Department of Defense organization. Examples of usability and database dependencies in the areas of data access, data granularity and multiple data formats are explained, and the impact of these issues on the project is described. The importance of early user profile analysis and task analysis is emphasized within the context of application-specific database modeling and system architecture needs. A high level knowledge of database issues proved to be useful tools for the human factors engineer in making contributions to the usability-cost tradeoff, and in facilitating collaboration and team work. These concepts are described within the context of usability goals.