ERIC Number: ED443426
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2000-Apr
Pages: 18
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Navigational Analysis of Linear and Non-Linear Hypermedia Interfaces.
Hall, Richard H.; Balestra, Joel; Davis, Miles
The purpose of this experiment was to assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive model for the analysis of hypermap navigation patterns through a comparison of navigation patterns associated with a traditional linear interface versus a non-linear "hypermap" interface. Twenty-six general psychology university students studied material on bipolar disorder, in which the home page was displayed in either an outline or hypermap format. The pages students went to, the time spent on each page, and the order of their traversal were all recorded. Cardinal (number of hits), temporal (time on page), and structural (pathfinder network) navigation measures were examined. The two groups did not differ on the cardinal navigation measure, but the temporal and structural measures differed markedly. Those in the hypermap groups spent significantly more time on the home page. Further, the structure of the navigation for those in the list group was more consistent with an outline than with a map structure, as would be expected. However, the navigation pattern of those in the hypermap group was no more consistent with an outline structure than it was with a map structure. The results indicate that a comprehensive analysis of navigation patterns can provide useful insight into hypermedia processing. Contains 19 references. (Author/MES)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) (New Orleans, LA, April 24-28, 2000). Tables and figures may not reproduce adequately.