Keeping Readers Oriented

It is more difficult to keep readers oriented in a hypertext document than it is in a paper-based document. A well-written paper document provides a clear signal as to the reader's place using page numbers, headers and footers, and tab dividers. Hypertext documents must provide similar navigational cues to prevent the reader from getting lost within the document. To provide appropriate navigation the document's organization must be clear and obvious to the reader, the reader's place in the document must be clear, and navigational methods easy.

To help reader's become better oriented, consider using clearly labeled page titles, main menu, section menus, and consistent navigational cues on the individual screens. One of the first things to do when creating a hypertext screen is to give it a title. A sreen’s title is displayed on the title bar of the Web browser, identifing it for readers. Provide links to and from both the main menu and each section menu. Each screen must contain a logical navigational system.

Dialog is the electronic conversation between user and document.

William Horton