Arranging hypertext page design system

(source: my thesis- improving learning ability through hypertext system)

This step is used to propose a design structure and typical hypertext function that should be provided in devising hypertext document. In this thesis, the author will adopt the page design model that is proposed by Solli [Solli, 1998]. The model has been reviewed in previous chapter.

Beside page level design determination, typical hypertext function should be provided in devising hypertext document. For this purpose, the author refers to Dreher’s work that mentions a number of typical hypertext functions [Dreher, 1997].

1. Contents lists that reflect the contents element of hypertext.

2. Views that allow readers to identify article by category.

3. Searching capability.

4. Navigation that includes backtracking.

5. Help function.

6. Print function that includes sharing connection.

7. Minor important information that includes annotations, marginal notes, footnotes, and endnotes.

8. Open connection to files.

These hypertext functions will be used in designing this hypertext-writing project. Therefore, the goal of applying these functions should be directed to student’s perspectives and environments.

References:

[Solli, 1998] Solli, A., 1998, Hypertext ‘papers’ on the Web: Students confronts the linear tradition?, The Journal of the Association for History and Computing, Vol.I, No.2, November

[Dreher, 1997] Dreher, H.V., 1997, Empowering Human Cognitive Activity through Hypertext Technology, PhD Thesis. Curtin University of Technology, Perth Western Australia

Analyzing documents : 2. The organizational element & 3.The presentation element

(source: my thesis- improving learning ability through hypertext system)

The organizational element

In this approach, the content elements of the document are organized by using hierarchical and parallel nodes and links. This organization will determine whether the document should be read sequentially or non-sequentially. The relationship determination of nodes is important in this step. The organizational element should determine how the nodes and links arranged to let user read sequentially or non-sequentially. An external and incoming links should be determined too. However, to explore information in scientific writing, a reader may read non-linearly. Thus, the organizational element has to be equipped with explore links. When there is an incoming link that leads to result node and its sub nodes then the reader can jump to another nodes non-linearly.

The presentation element

Three presentation types that have been identified for document writing:

1. Textual type that limited to the word or alphabetical content nodes such as title, definition, keyword, quotation, caption label, reference list, index, table of content, a paragraph, and appendixes.

2. Graphical type that presents the content and structure of document graphically such as document map, outline (like TOC), diagram, table, chart, picture, and icon.

3. Combined type is to present content and organizational element more comprehensively. For example, icon Goto in taskbar can lead to certain definition instead of clicking an associated word.

Analyzing documents : 1. The content element

(source: my thesis- improving learning ability through hypertext system)

Scheme of hypertext document construction methodology Thuring et al have proposed an approach to examine the component of a coherent hypertext document. This rule is applicable as a hypertext author guidance to analyze components in a document that will be acquired in hypertext development. There are three components to be analyzed – the content element, the organizational element, and the presentation element [Thuring et al, 1991].

1. The content element

1. Title: to attract the reader at first scan in the database list. The title should be concise, accurate and informative. Thus, the title is the content nodes that must have only the key words of the paper and must be identified all. The title nodes may have two heading statements. The usual format with two heading is to place the main thing as the most important key phrase as the main title and followed by subtitle.

2. Abstract: to stimulate the expert to read the paper and supplies the casual reader with definite information. Abstract can be become a summary node that usually between 150 and 250 words [Stapleton, 1987, p.21]. It includes four elements that become content nodes which must be stated in abstract:

a. The objective of research writing.

b. A succinct description of the methods.

c. Actual main results.

d. The significances and possible implications of the results.

3. Figures and tables: to summarize the results to the person scanning the article. The caption of the figures and tables are nodes that link to the main text and its reference list at the end of the paper.

4. Results: to give more detail research explanation. It consists of introduction, materials, methods, research results, discussion and references. Introduction has three nodes of information- the background to the work, a brief review of relevant literature, and a clear statement of the objectives or purposes. Materials have information to describe what the author used in his/her researches whereas methods have information to describe how the experiments of the research are accomplished in a logical order. The subsequent parts are research results, which have descriptive information that expose the research findings, and discussion or conclusion, which has three nodes of information: the found facts, commentary on the facts, and the theoretical implications or suggestion to following study. Thus, discussion has many links to previous work, objectives or hypothesis in the introduction, relevant literature, data findings and analysis, and relation to other fields or researches. Reference list has information from which an author cites a paper. It has information such as authors’ name, year of publication, title of article, edition / volume number, name and place of publisher, and number of pages.

5. Rest of paper: read for information such as appendixes, authorship, copyright, and guarantee of material.

This information is important for readers in terms of getting the paper noticed by accessing library and computerized databases. Following reproduced Figure is the comparison between the order of physical nodes and the importance of communication nodes of a scientific article [Stapleton 1987]

Figure Comparison of Physical And Importance Order In Scientific Articles

References:

[Thuring et al., 1991] Thuring, M., Haake, J.M., and Hannemann, J., 1991, Hypertext '91 Proceedings.

[Stapleton, 1987] Stapleton, P., 1987, Writing Research Paper: An Easy Guide for Non-Native-English Speakers, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, 1987.

Hypertext Development Methodology for Academic Document

(source: my thesis- improving learning ability through hypertext system)

Author proposes a methodology that covers analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation approach to develop a hypertext system. Following is the methodology steps that comes from conceptual framework and literature review that will be used to develop an academic document from paper-based model to hypertext model which is accompanied by evaluation model.

1. Analyzing documents that potentially to be converted to hypertext format.

It consists of three parts of analysis:

a. Analyze the content element to investigate content nodes that store information and content links that join the content nodes.

b. Analyze the organizational element to draw object of document by structuring the document’s arrangement under a reader’s viewpoint. In this step, an appropriate starting point and paths of document are examined based on reader’s concern.

c. Analyze the presentation element to arrange the appearance of the structure and content of the document and provide the navigation tools.

2. Arranging hypertext page design system.

This step is used to propose a design structure and typical hypertext function that should be provided in devising hypertext document. It includes page level and structure design arrangement, build contents lists, build views that allow readers to identify article by category, provide searching capability, propose navigation tools, provide help function, provide print function, provide minor important information, and open connection to files.

3. Implementing the targeted document.

This step is used to determine procedures and tools to convert linear paper-based document to hypertext document. It consists of tool and procedure to implement hypertext conversion. The procedure will take:

· Extract the source’s structure.

· Reorganize the document target’s structure.

· Augment the structure of targeted document links.

· Define and applying proper styles and structure in Word.

· Build hypertext document database.

4. Evaluating the result.

This step is used to measure the usability of hypertext paper comprehension by means of five usability metrics that proposed by Nielsen. The five usability metrics are task time, errors percentage, user memory (recognition and recall), time to recall document structure, and subjective satisfaction. Following figure is the methodology and its detail (the explanations of the steps in this methodology are in the next articles)

Evaluation Model for Hypertext Document

(source: my thesis- improving learning ability through hypertext system)

Nielsen [1995] proposed five metrics to measure the usability of reading hypertext paper:

1. Task time was the number of seconds it took users to find answers for specific questions about the content element.

2. Errors was a percentage score based on the number of incorrect answers users gave for questions that had a known answer

3. Memory comprised two measures from an exam given to the users after they had finished using the hypertext paper. Recognition memory was a percentage score based on the number of correct answers minus the number of incorrect answers to 5 multiple-choice questions. Recall memory was a percentage score based on the number of item correctly recalled after the text minus the number incorrectly recalled.

4. Time to recall hypertext structure was the number of seconds it tool users to drawn a hypertext map. This is a measure of how well the users had understood the information organization.

5. Subjective satisfaction was determined from participant’s answers to questionnaire. Each question used a 10-point rating scale. Four satisfaction criteria were averaged to derive the subjective satisfaction score: perceived quality, perceived ease of use, likeability, and user affect.

Depending on the goal of a project, Nielsen in his research use different weight to each five usability metrics. For educational writing might give added weight to the memory measure and perhaps also some added weight to learning the hypertext structure.

Nielsen and Landauer [1993] also suggest to test only 5 participants in a group with the argument from their research that after the first iterative study with 5 users has found 85% of the important usability problems. The rest of problem can be fixed in maximum 2 subsequent groups of five. Following Figure 2.5 is the research result of their work in explaining why the evaluation of usability can be satisfied with 5 users in one group of observation to get 85% of the important usability problems. Then, to calculate final measurements, Nielsen [2001] as well suggest to use geometric mean calculation rather than arithmetic mean in order to not skewing the result by a single big number and for the cases in which some of the metrics are negative. The geometric mean formula of N numbers is N’th root of the product of the numbers.

Figure 2.5 Usability Evaluation Curve [Nielsen and Landauer, 1993, p.206-213]

References:

[Nielsen, 1995] Nielsen, J., 1995, Multimedia and Hypertext: The Internet and Beyond, Academic Press, Boston.

[Nielsen and Landauer, 1993] Nielsen, Jakob, and Landauer, Thomas K., A Mathematical model of the finding of usability problems, Proceedings of ACM INTERCHI’93 Conference, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 24-29 April 1993, pp.206-213.

[Nielsen, 2001] Nielsen, J., 2001, Usability Metrics, Available on-line at http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20010121.html

Hypertext page design system

(source: my thesis- improving learning ability through hypertext system)

Scientific document has comprehensive page design systems by describing all page design elements, both textual and graphical, as well as guidelines for using the elements appropriately. It is recommended that page design elements visually reflect the hierarchical scheme site writing [Sano, 1996].

Figure 2.3 Page Design Level [Solli, 1998, p.10]

Page design system has three levels as described in Figure 2.3 [Solli, 1998]. Outline nodes will typically have the hypertext design look presented very strongly while second and third levels of the site carry over the same look for consistency and to assure users that they do not lost. In Figure 2.3, hypertext design at level 0 will be like outline any text and the hypertext system will allow the reader to read the text sequentially from the introduction, through the result / discussion, and then to the conclusion. In the text at level 0 there could also be some excerpts from sources, diagrams, illustrations and simple tables. Level 0 could also be viewed as a kind of an extended summary, and then level 1 could be the full text.

When the reader also chooses to investigate part of the text in more detail, read excerpts from sources, definition of terms, references, additional tables or tables of data that are sources of diagrams used at level 0, a link leads to level 1. The reader can, by investigating level 1, check the arguments or find other interpretations. In level 2 there could be tables of data, more sources or different transcriptions of sources, data files for download, and also software tools for analyzing the data files. In a hypertext system these levels can be linked and integrated and the reader can adjust how the text is read according to his/her wishes.

Solli [1998] also proposes a two-columns design in the main structure of the hypertext writing. The outline of the paper (headings) will reside in the constant column to the left of the screen. The order from top to bottom indicates the sequence between different parts of the hypertext. This indicates the main-structure of the text as the author sees it. The outline at the left should also give some picture of the size and composition of the text. Figure 2.4 proposes a conceptual design of hypertext structure.

Figure 2.4 Page Structure Design Of Hypertext Paper

References:

[Sano, 1996] Sano, D. 1996. Designing Large-Scale Web Sites: A Visual Design Methodology. New York: John-Wiley and Sons, Inc.

[Solli, 1998] Solli, A., 1998, Hypertext ‘papers’ on the Web: Students confronts the linear tradition?, The Journal of the Association for History and Computing, Vol.I, No.2, November.

Hypertext Analysis and Design Model

(source: my thesis- improving learning ability through hypertext system)

Thuring et al have proposed an approach to examine the component of a coherent hypertext document. This rule is applicable as a hypertext author guidance to analyze components in a document that will be acquired in hypertext development. There are three components to be analyzed – the content element, the organizational element, and the presentation element [Thuring et al, 1991] .

1. The content element

The contains of content elements are content nodes that store information and content links that join the content nodes. As generating the content element, two subsequent design rules can be applied:

1. Combination content nodes should be used to hierarchically structure the content of the document into domain specific sub-units of information.

2. The label of a link should be as specific as possible and should constitute a comprehensible sentence together with the names of the source and destination nodes.

In the scope of this research paper, Stapleton [1987] said that the basis characteristic of an academic text could be structured into five parts. These parts, then, become the contents nodes.

1. Title: to attract the reader at first scan in the database list.

2. Abstract: to stimulate the expert to read the paper and supplies the casual reader with definite information.

3. Figures and tables: to summarize the results to the person scanning the article.

4. Results: to give more detail research explanation. It consists of introduction, materials, methods, research results, discussion and references.

5. Rest of paper: read for information such as appendixes, authorship, copyright, and guarantee of material.

2. The organizational element

Organizational element is a drawing object of document by structuring the arrangement under a reader’s viewpoint [Thuring, 1991]. The following rules can be applied while creating the organizational element:

1. Choose an appropriate starting point to serve as an introduction to the document.

2. Construct appropriate paths based on reader’s interest and knowledge by using sequencing and exploration nodes and links.

3. The presentation element

The presentation element is dealt with the arrangement of structure and content of the document and provides the navigation tools. Three presentation types that have been identified for scientific writing:

1. Textual type that limited to the word or alphabetical content nodes.

2. Graphical type that presents the content and structure of document graphically.

3. Combined type is to present content and organizational element more comprehensively.

References:

[Thuring et al., 1991] Thuring, M., Haake, J.M., and Hannemann, J., 1991, Hypertext '91 Proceedings.

[Stapleton, 1987] Stapleton, P., 1987, Writing Research Paper: An Easy Guide for Non-Native-English Speakers, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, 1987.