What is hypertext?
Ideal Uses for Hypertext
Hypertext Usability to Measure Effectiveness
Definitions of Hypertext, Hypermedia, and Multimedia
Major features of hypertext include the following:
Hypertext consists of interlinked pieces of text or other information
stored electronically.
Each unit of information is called a module, node, or topic, and might have pointers or links to other units. An entire hypertext structure forms a network of topics and links.
In this paper, I use the term "topic" to denote each unit of information.
Hypertext is nonlinear.
Through navigating links, readers can jump around your document as they wish. In effect, no single order determines the sequence of information to be read.
Hypertext gives readers more control over online documents than
print documents.
Hypertext presents several different options to the reader. When reading the text, each reader decides which option to follow (Nielsen, 1995).
Readers move through hypertext by an activity called browsing or navigating, both of which emphasize how readers must actively determine their path through the network. According to Jakob Nielsen (1995), "true hypertext should . . . make users feel that they can move freely through the information, according to their own needs" (p. 4).
Hypertext can easily disorient readers.
Context is often lost in hypertext documents. Readers can become disoriented and lose track of their location within a document.
To reduce the likelihood of reader disorientation, provide contextual cues to help readers more easily navigate your document. For instance, by writing effective link text, you can help readers understand where the links lead without clicking on them.
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Last Updated: May 2, 2001
(c)2000 by Alysson Troffer. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce or redistribute any material from this document, in whole or in part, without written permission.