THE NAVIGATIONAL AND COGNITIVE PROBLEMS OF HYPERTEXT AND HYPERMEDIA

Abstract

Over the last decade there have been considerable advances in the ways in which information can be stored, processed and delivered. Of particular importance are the developments in computer storage technologies and the various mechanisms by which people can interact with computer systems. These developments enable large volumes of information to be stored and displayed in 'electronic form'. Such information can be organized in a linear fashion or it can be organized into other, more sophisticated non-linear structures. Non-linear arrangement of textual materials is called 'hypertext'. Similarly, non-linear arrangement of multimedia information, a combination of text, images and sound, is known as 'hypermedia' [1,2].