Since beginning my project I have become painfully aware of how
visual presentation must follow some rules in order to make the
document readable. It seems inconsistancies can only be
avoided by building some pages, then looking at them. Visual
presentation can be planned to some extent, but then must be
tested in practice.
Another passage I found useful from The Labarynth was the
section on Authoring Hypertext.
This is a step by step reminder key for beginners.
1. Chunking--info must be organized into small chunks
2.Interrelationships--each document must contain links to other
documents. Each link should serve a clear purpose.
3. Consistancy of ducument names--keep a list of nodes as they
are created in order to easily identify links as they are
created.
4.Create a master reference list.
5.Simplicity in traversal:Navigation should be simple and
consistant throughout the system.
6.Screen design--screens should be designed so they can be
grasped perceptually. Visual layout is very important in
screen design.
7.Low Cognative Load--minimize the burden on the user's
short-term memory. Do not require the user to remember things
from one screen to another.
This last item makes me question the medium of hyupertext. If
we are designing things which are supposed to be constructed,
yet do not tax the reader the way books do, are we doing
ourselves any favors? Nevertheless, the above seemed like a
valuable set of reminders for project production.
Tom Lukas