Clearly the WWW could be used for organising this information, given the right tools. We have developed a simple organisational tool in Java that starts to deal with cross-platform access to the heterogeneous world of product information in the context of the virtual office. We are about to demonstrate the tool to our practice participants for feedback, evaluation and an indication of future directions. We expect that the capabilities of the tool will be overtaken by developments in PC operating systems, software for collaboration and so on, but the development has provided valuable insight into Java and its strengths and limitations, and the system is open ended, able to support new capabilities as we see the need. The icons representing links can be moved around the canvas and organised in folders.
Users can easily select from palettes of icons.
The link information and icon locations are stored at a server site, and the information is accessed by password. The tool also opens up the possibility of using a Java canvas as a display area for arranging samples of building products. It is common practice in architectural and interior design offices to organise samples of materials on a sheet of cardboard to test their compatibility, and to show clients. An electronic version of a sample board seems to be a useful and graphically relevant way for designers to organise product information. Clicking on any sample invokes a web site with further information.