"Dow Jones Investor Network is a revolutionary idea that hinges on truly pioneering technology. To pull it off, we had to customize Windows and turn an arcane academic theory into a pragmatic system that non-technical executives could use. Cognetics played a critical, integral role in the development and launch."

- Marty Schenker,
Dow Jones Investor Network

The Challenge

Dow Jones Information Services envisioned a multimedia service that would allow executives to quickly cull articles, charts, and video news images (including unedited interviews of CEOs) on specific topics of interest, both daily and on-demand. Executives had to be able to locate and view particular sections of video clips within seconds. The Dow Jones service had to operate within a Windows environment and have a distinctive, high-end look.

The Solution

Cognetics simplified the information-search process by creating an unusually powerful interface that allows subscribers to set up elaborate criteria for collecting information, and then get precisely what they've requested at impressive speed. To make it easier for subscribers to conduct searches, we developed the capability to simply highlight icons representing the desired information categories. We also created an option for instant searches on a keyword or a company's stock symbol.

The Result

The prototype inspired a round of applause from the Dow Jones Board of Directors.

Interface Details

The heart of the system is its multimedia news stories. Indexed digital video is combined with performance charts or text stories. The indexing of the video allows the user to go directly to a section of interest, rather than being forced to review the entire clip. Stories can be marked as an item of special interest, saved to disk or printed.

The interface for creating the search filters uses drag-and-drop techniques to allow direct access and eliminate the need to type. Along with the full search entry screen, two quick access buttons let the user enter a single keyword or company stock ticker symbol for an instant search.

One of the important functions of the service is to allow users to set up boolean filters on a number of criteria for collecting stories. The screens designed for entering these filters had to be powerful enough to enable complex real-world searches, but be easy enough to allow quick entry during a busy work day.

The entire interface is executed in 256 colors, even replacing standard MS-Windows system buttons and dialog boxes with custom graphics. This allowed the Cognetics interface to maintain the consistency of the Windows interface guidelines while giving it a unique look and feel.