From a user s perspective, a well-designed product is intuitive to use and easy to navigate. It should support a variety of information-seeking behaviors including keyword searching, site index scrolling, and simple browsing. The interface should be consistent across screens and functions with regard to placement of both navigation and content. Content on the screen should be well organized and legible. The design of the product should be stable without major redesigns occuring for no apparent reason.
Most licensed resources require some type of procedure to ensure appropriate use.
These two steps secure content by restricting access. Ask the vendor to refer you to other similar institutions that have purchased the product, and try to find formal reviews. Licensing electronic resources offers unique challenges that cannot be resolved by applying the same rules that govern our acquisition of traditional print resources. Chief among these are issues of ownership and access. Licensing agreements can be complicated to read unless you understand the legal and technical jargon used to define the terms.