The principal feature of the system is the interface. Carefully designed for intuitive use and functionality, even the first-time user should be able to utilize the system with no training and minimal effort. As well, the appropriate functions will present themselves in such a way as to make learning to use the system unnecessary.

Those students and staff who have had previous experience using graphical window environments will find their skills directly transferable to the Time Traveler. Most of the interaction with the system is handled graphically through a single screen. The user will be able to point and click to browse courses, add and drop courses, and manipulate their registration within a specific course. The de-emphasis of a keyboard interface means the interaction will be intuitive straightforward.

The user will be able to see their current registration information simultaneously as both a timetable and a list of courses. Also on the screen is a master list of courses which can be browsed, and relevant information on the course currently being considered. While this is a large amount of information, the lay out has been carefully considered to avoid confusion and clutter.

When the proper information has been accessed, manipulating it is simply a matter of pointing and clicking. There are no messy menus to manipulate, or obscure commands to type in; desired data is simply selected with the mouse, and the appropriate button is pressed. The end result of this is that there are no commands to learn, and even the novice can easily perform any function.

Indeed, even the functions have been carefully prepared to avoid confusion. Based on the current course selected, only those functions which are relevant to the user given their current time table are available. The system will adapt the parts of the current on screen interface to the usage specified by the user. The interface for the various functions is as identical as possible given their differences.

The functions available in the system have also been chosen with ease of use in mind. As many options as possible have been made transparent to the user, while at the same time allowing enough functions to make it clear at any time what must be done to accomplish a goal. The user will be able to add, drop and manipulate their registration in any allowable course. The system will keep track of the users fee information, and display it on the main screen for convenience.

Should the system notice any problems with a registration, including time table conflicts and lacking prerequisites, the user will be warned in a clear and concise error message.

Upon completion of a function, the system will automatically refresh all relevant information on the display, allowing the user to easily see exactly what has been done. This high degree of feedback should make it easy for the user to access the various functions without confusion or mistakes.