A project report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering / In view of the recent breakthroughs in memory chips, electronic fieldguides are becoming more feasible, specially when they offer better portability and faster information access when compared to conventional fieldguides. In this report we discuss the importance of inexpensive electronic fieldguides which at the same time provide suitable user interface for maximum information transfer. The implications of software architecture are discussed during the course of designing the software model of a bird identifier fieldguide. This model is used to evaluate the behavioral performance and effectiveness of the user interface; both of which play a vital role in establishing the cost of the device. These observations are brought together in conclusion, where the potential role of electronic fieldguides in the domain of education and science are highlighted. / Andrew Chakane 2019