Navigation Modeling in Hypermedia Applications

A distinguishing feature of hypermedia applications is the possibility of navigational access by the user. Although this type of access can be an advantage, there many problems associated with it, for example user disorientation ("lost in hyperspace"). This paper presents the concept of navigational context, which is used to design the navigation structure of a hypermedia application. Navigational contexts are defined in the framework of the Object Oriented Hypermedia Design Methodology, which strives to systematize the process of hypermedia application design, from the conceptual modeling phase all the way to implementation. Throughout the paper, examples of the use of navigational contexts are shown using Microsoft's Art Gallery CDROM application.