PROC - Planetary Radar Observation Center webportal, How would you like the new ESA portal? Options

[jumpjack]

I know a person which works in Space industry. He just told me that during next months he will work at PROC project; part of this project is related to setting up a brand new web portal devoted to make available to the public all the radar data collected by Sharad, Marsis and Cassini missions (and other future missions).

The goal of the webportal subproject is to create a portal with two main features:
- easy of use
- speed

First one is the most difficult to accomplish, as it depends on the user more than on the system.

So, how do YOU think a web interface should be to be more comfortable?
Which kind of interface? Buttons, menus, forms, lists.... what's the best method to present scientific data to professional and non professional users?
Which kind of menus? (static, dynamic, side-located, up-located,...)
Some REAL screenshots would be very interesting and self-explanatory.

Actually I don't know if your suggestions will be taken into account during PROC webportal development, but I think it is worth of giving it a try!

[imipak]

A decade or so back I found "Web Sites That Suck" to be a good source for usability and design case studies.

[jumpjack]

A decade or so back I found "Web Sites That Suck" to be a good source for usability and design case studies.

I found The Official Guideline ("official" as being issued by who invented the WWW!)
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/