How Hypermedia Works

Hypermedia systems use links and nodes to help users navigate through the presentation. "Links are the connection between the conceptual elements, that is, the nodes containing text, graphics, sounds, or related information in the knowledge base" (Vaughan 234). When you add several media to a project, the media can be linked to one another, allowing the user to jump from node to node creating a hypermedia environment. Vaughan states that creating hypertext is "relationship management." The developer must see all possible associations and relationships within the information and present them in the most effective manner.

The art of hypermedia design lies in the visualization of these nodes and their links so that they make sense, not nonsense, and can form the background of a knowledge access system.

Tay Vaughan