Cognitive Processing of Hyperdocuments: When Does Nonlinearity Help?
Cognitive Processing of Hyperdocuments: When Does Nonlinearty Help? by Jean-François Rouet
- Hypertext and Hyperdocuments
- Hypertext Use
- Efficiency Factors
- Information Retrieval
- Cognitive Monitoring
- Use for Project
Hypertext
- "By 'hypertext' I mean non-sequential writing - text that branches and allows choices to the reader, best read at an interactive screen." -- Theodor Holm Nelson
- "Text which does not form a single sequence and which may be read in various orders." -- Oxford English Dictionary
- "A computer-based text retrieval system that enables the user to provide access to or gain information related to a particular text." -- American Heritage Dictionary
Hyperdocuments
- Documents using the hypertext technology
- = hypertext-documents
Hypertext Use
- General Reading & Learning
- Information Retrieval
- BUT "no consistent evidence for the advantage of hypertext over linear presentation formats."
- => "global efficiency of hypertext may no longer be the right question."
Efficiency Factors
- Task Requirements
- Subject's Experience
- Interface Features
- Information Retrieval
- Training is necessary, because
- User experience is required for efficient use of search tools
- Match navigation mode to task
- Q: How often do you use +,-,",*,title:,url: etc. features of search engines like altavista?
Cognitive Monitoring
- Evaluate own cognitive processing and results
- Usually poor correlation b/w estimated and actual comprehension
- BUT required when using hypertext
- => Poor results when using hypertext
- => Reading/Navigation strategies needed
Use for Project
- Sect.3.1: "Interface design has a great influence on hypertext usability."
- More nonlinearity is not necessarily better
- Provide help for information retrieval
- Remember to consider section 2.1 for your links
