Navigation in Hypertext

Structural Analysis

Two important aspects of the structure of hyperdocuments are hierarchies and metrics.

Hierarchies are used to view a hyperdocument somewhat like a book with chapters, sections, subsections, etc. The hierarchical structure of a hyperdocument can be compared to the grid structure of a city, while the exceptions to the hierarchy: the cross-reference links, are the disturbing factors like Broadway is in Manhattan. If there are few cross-reference links, the user is not likely to get lost, as hierarchical document structures are common and resemble a book structure [De].

Metrics is what used to measure how well-connected a hyperdocument is, and how "linear" its structure is [De].

Navigation in Hypertext Hypertext Analysis

Last modified: 6 Nov 2002 by Kathy Nguyen Dang