Architecture and rendering analysis

The $64000 question ... what is a hypertext?

A typical answer is `A hypertext is a nonlinear text'. But what is the meaning of `nonlinear' (and `linear', for that matter)? And what is the meaning of `text'? Is a hypertext necessarily an electronic text?

On the basis of our discussion so far, you have a number of types of criterion for answering this question, for instance:

• Should your definition consider only information structure, document structure, or presentation structure, or some combination of these?
• Should your definition also consider the navigation structure (or other varieties of interaction)?
• Should your definition consider the media involved?

Hint: Are there non-linear printed books? Are there linear hypertexts? Should these expressions be regarded as contraditions in terms?

Architecture analysis: typical hypertexts

For discussion:

• What do you consider to be typical hypertexts?
• What would be an untypical hypertext?
• Take two representative examples, and describe similarities and differences in the architecture of their underlying document structures in order to justify your holistic judgments on typicality.

For example, can the document structures be represented best by branching tree graphs, by tables, by lists, are they circular, are they more complex than this, are they divided into clear topical domains which can be represented by a site map (semantic map, topic map)?

Rendering analysis: typical presentations

Catalogue the rendering media which are used in your documents, for example:

• fonts, font sizes, font styles
• colours
• window, text and media objects:
  • frames
  • lists
  • tables
  • graphics
  • video
  • audio
  • ...
• hypertext chunk (section) splitting (`makeup', `Umbruch'):
  • table of contents
  • linked sections within one page
  • linked separate pages
  • depth of linking
  • ...
• topical site map
• navigation structure

Requirements for different hypertext types

Imagine you are to design a hypertext for a customer, whether for advertising, as an operating manual, teaching materials, etc.

With reference to the theoretical criteria discussed so far, describe what the hypertext is intended to achieve - i.e. describe the requirements specification for the hypertext - as systematically as possible.

Design of different hypertext types

Starting with your requirements specification,

1. design the document structure for your hypertext;
2. design the rendering (presentation structure) for your hypertext.