The Structure of Information

Horton stresses that one should develop online documents systematically because "design as a process, not an event" (94:27). Horton also recognizes that developing online information is not a one-time process. It is something that evolves through a continual process of revision and refinement. The development is ongoing and always improving. The electronic media, especially the Web, of course, lends itself to continual revision and refinement because it is so easy to edit and upload the newer version of the section or screen.

There are various organizational structures from which to choose when developing multimedia. A pure web structure every topic is linked to every other topic. For some users a pure web structure might be potentially confusing and might be difficult to manipulate. Unlike the pure web structure, the partial web structure is a hierarchy with cross-referenced links, instead of every topic directly linked to every other topic. To ensure ease-of-use most documtents use a structure that does not include all possible connections.