AN EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT NAVIGATIONAL TOOLS IN USING HYPERTEXT

Hypertext is a widely used form of information presentation which has gained wide popularity in the last few years due to the ease with whic h information can be portrayed and accessed. However, the very flexibi lity of hypertext creates problems of user disorientation and cognitiv e overhead. Designers in the past have tried to combat these problems by providing users with a myriad of navigational tools, with the most widely employed tools being a map and an index. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the above mentioned na vigational tools in alleviating the problems associated with using a h ypertext system. For the purpose of this study, a hypertext package wa s developed using Hypercard on ''Ancient Civilizations'' The experimen t explored three variables: types of navigational tool available to th e user (Map, Index and Combination of map and index): hypertext size ( Small stack, Large stack) and trials (Before, After). The results of t he study indicate significant differences in the use and effect of the navigational tools.