โ Scribed by Diane McKerlie; Jenny Preece
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Many claims and much 'hype' surround the term 'hypermedia'. Foremost amongst these claims are that hypermedia will revolutionize learning and users' abilities to interact with, search for, and tailor information to suit their own needs. These claims are similar to those made about 'hypertext' in the past. Our point of view is that hypermedia is 'more than just the sum (i.e. the overall effect) of the parts' (e.g. sound, video, graphics, text etc.). In this paper we offer definitions for the terms 'multimedia' and 'hypermedia' and examine some of the above claims using examples from a collaborative research and development project at the Open University and Rank Xerox EuroPARC. We consider what basic psychological principles can tell us about designing hypermedia from a usability perspective, apply these ideas to specific design issues, and raise some development issues which have also influenced our design of hypermedia. We conclude that further research and creative exploration are needed to understand how best to harness the potential of combining multiple media into well designed hypermedia systems.
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