- Case Study: Land Trust Database
- Developing the Database
- The User Interface
Case Study: Land Trust Database - The User Interface
The User Interface
The user interface developed over time to include things like automatic cross-linking between properties and contacts, since it was common for a user to switch between the two. Contact and property search functions were added, as well as ‘canned’ one-click reports (such as one to list all contact information a land monitor might need). New fields were added to the database to track things like who edited a record, and access levels and limitations created, so certain users could view but not edit information, other users could edit only certain types of information, etc. Wishlist items were added to the navigation for future development, such as image galleries or a donations management module.
The current system (in use by the Hilltown Land Trust since 2008), provides secure user registration and login and data validation to reduce data entry errors or malicious data entry. The system administrator sets permissions for each user which allows them to view or edit only specific areas of the database.
Data is cross linked so users have one-click access to all properties related to a specific contact or all contacts related to a specific property. Properties are also linked to deed information and conservation restriction monitoring reports.
Grayed out areas on the navigation bar represent future modules from the wishlist, such as donation tracking, image gallaries and user-based or date-driven to-do lists. The navigation bar is currently showing links for ADMIN-level access; some links are not available at other access levels, and some screens are read-only if the user has permission to view, but not edit, that section of the database. The data displayed in the screenshots is fake information, for illustration purposes only.
Contact Detail - provides an overview of a specific contact, including direct links to related properties.
Property Seach - allows searching by town or property name. Results are sortable by various fields.
Property Detail - provides an overview of a specific property and links to all related information and reports.
Expanded Conservation Restriction - provides details about the restrictions and baseline monitoring report.
Previous: Developing the Database
