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Abstract:

Hypertext, a medium in which text is presented in a non-linear fashion, can provide a flexible and intuitive way of navigating through an information space. Yet this freedom places an extra cognitive load on hypertext readers who can become lost or disoriented. Modern hypertext systems include facilities such as browsers, maps, bookmarks or footprints which aim to alleviate this problem, yet they are limited in effectiveness. We propose another method which could significantly enhance existing navigational mechanisms. The method aims to assist the user during hypertext navigation by reducing the decision space in the process, thus, focusing the user's attention on a specific topic. Our approach is motivated by the assumption that a reader of a hypertext document has a specific objective to reach, thus, the system should provide information in such an order as to lead the user towards this goal. We call this mode of operation a user-centered approach to providing hypertext information. In our approach, all displayed hypertext nodes are used to present certain topics to the user. The user interacts with the presented information with the aim to test his or her knowledge of the topic. The results of this interaction are assessed by the system, and based on this assessment, the system will guide the user to the next node by activating only the most appropriate links. The user finally selects one

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