Hypermedia Cognitive Science 2006 Desereah Esquivel Morgan Grant Paige Burkham

Hypermedia  Hypermedia:A term used as a logical extension of the term hypertext, in which audio, video, plain text, and non-linear hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-linear medium of information.  This contrasts with multimedia, which, although often capable of random access in terms of the physical medium, is essentially linear in nature.  The difference should also be noted with hypergraphics or super-writing which is a Lettrist form from the 1950s which systemizes creativity across disciplines.

Hypermedia (cont.)  The World Wide Web is a classic example of hypermedia, whereas a movie on a DVD is an example of standard multimedia. The lines between the two can (and often do) blur depending on how a particular technological medium is implemented.  The first hypermedia system was the Aspen Movie Map.  (compliments of

Hypertext  In computing, hypertext is a user interface paradigm for displaying documents which, according to an early definition (Nelson 1970), "branch or perform on request."  The most frequently discussed form of hypertext document contains automated cross-references to other documents called hyperlinks.  Selecting a hyperlink causes the computer to display the linked document within a very short period of time.

Hypertext (cont.)  A document can be static (prepared and stored in advance) or dynamically generated (in response to user input). A well-constructed hypertext system can encompass, incorporate or supersede many other user interface paradigms like menus and command lines, and can be used to access both static collections of cross-referenced documents and interactive applications.  The documents and applications can be local or can come from anywhere with the assistance of a computer network like the Internet.  The most famous implementation of hypertext is the World Wide Web.  The term "hypertext" is often used where the term hypermedia would be more appropriate.

Components of Hypertext  Nodes  Composites  Link Anchor  Link Markers  Links

Subfields of Hypertext  Adaptive hypertext- employ a user model to customize node content and filter the available link set. Adaptive hypertext systems try to guide users towards interesting and relevant information and shield them from irrelevant information  Hypertext design- concerns analysis and design methodologies for creating hypertext systems. Hypertext design differs from standard design techniques due to its emphasis on links as first class objects and navigation.  Evaluation- techniques that judge the ability for users to navigate effectively within a hypertext web and remain oriented when jumping into the web at random

Subfields of Hypertext (cont.)  Writing- authors of this literature work in a non- linear creativity space in which they design not only content, but also link structure, structual features and navigation.  Hypertext functionality- group that studies techniques for applying hypertext constructs and features to the everyday, non-hypertext applications found in business, engineering and personal applications.  Open hypertext systems and standards- group that studies ways for different hypertext systems to coordinate information and services over the internet.

Advantages of Hypermedia  The ability to quickly follow associations and look up related material. References can be traced both back- wards and forward in a way which can be difficult and time consuming with printed media.  The user can annotate the material and create new references. Information can also be structured in a variety of ways. Multiple organizations of the same material allow for specialized structures for different user categories.  Hypermedia has a strong potential for learning applications since learning by exploration might be facilitated in a natural way. The student can browse the material and find new information as she explores a subject area. Concepts encountered can trigger new ideas, and chains of associations can be followed in a convenient manner

Advantages of Hypermedia (cont.)  Ease of browsing might increase the risk that the learner skips through the material much to hasty, and thus get a shallow and fragmented conception of the subject.  The risk of getting disoriented can result in confusion rather than understanding, especially if the user jumps around between different nodes in a more or less random manner.  Using a hypermedia system involves a certain cognitive overhead. The problems is that the user has to interact with the system in order to accomplish anything, which can be more or less complex. The author of a research paper, for example, might suddenly want to make an note on a new idea which she comes to think of. If this is complicated and requires many steps it is possible to loose track of the idea and partly forget it.  The risk the one loses track of what one was writing in the first place. 

Widgets  A graphical interface component that a computer user interacts with, such as a window or a text box. windowtext boxwindowtext box  Sometimes qualified as virtual to distinguish them from their physical counterparts, e.g. virtual buttons that can be clicked with a mouse cursor, vs. physical buttons that can be pressed with a finger. virtual buttons cursorbuttonsvirtual buttons cursorbuttons

Cyberspace  "Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination... A graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity."

Cyberspace (cont.)  Cyberspace can be thought of as a very large, distributed, and visualized hyper-media structure. Cyberspace can be conceived as an independent realm, a shared virtual environment whose inhabitants, objects, and spaces are data, but data which is visualized, heard, and perhaps touched. William Gibson describes cyberspace as a computer generated hallucination of a gigantic, world-wide network of databases:  The virtually unlimited size of cyberspace and the heavy use of visualization techniques makes it interesting with respect to orientation. Like in a virtual world, it is important to give the user a feeling for how large the world is, where she is, and where she can go form the current location. Maps could be a helpful tool for navigating cyberspace.