TICs Hipertexto Modelos

8/13/2019 TICs Hipertexto Modelos

1/17

PATTERNS OF HYPERTEXT

Mark Bernstein

chief scientist, Eastgate Systems, Inc.

Patterns Of HypertextThe complexity and unruliness of the complex webs of links we create has freuently

led to calls for !structured! or otherwise disciplined hypertext "##$"%&$"'($. )hile calls

for clearer structure ha*e tried to a*oid, consolidate, or minimi+e links, it is now clear

that hypertext cannot easily turn its back on complex link structures. )here it was once

feared that the cogniti*e burdens of large, irregular link networks would o*erwhelm

readers, we find in practice that myriad casual readers flock to the docu*erse. The

growth of literary and scholarly hypertext, the e*olution of the )eb, and the economics

of link exchange all assure the longterm importance of links.

Since large linked constructs cannot be wished away, it is time to de*elop a *ocabularyof concepts and structures that will let us understand the way today-s hypertexts and

Reprinted from Proceedings ofHypertext '98, Frank Shipman,Elli Mylonas, and KajGroenback, eds, ACM, NewYork. (c) Copyright 1998 by

Association for ComputingMachinery. All Rights Reserved.Reprinted by permission.

Copyright 1999 by theAssociation for ComputingMachinery, Inc. Permission tomake digital or hard copies ofpart or all of this work forpersonal or classroom use isgranted without fee providedthat copies are not made ordistributed for profit orcommercial advantage and thatcopies bear this notice and thefull citation on the first page.Copyrights for components ofthis work owned by others thanACM must be honored.Abstracting with credit ispermitted. To copy otherwise, torepublish, to post on servers, orto redistribute to lists, requiresprior specific permission and/ora fee. Request permissions fromPublications Dept, ACM Inc., fax+1 (212) 869-0481, [email protected].
mailto:[email protected]://www.eastgate.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.eastgate.com/


2/17

)eb sites work. rogress in the craft of writing depends, in part, on analysis and

discussion of the best existing work. /n appropriate *ocabulary will allow us both to

discern and to discuss patterns in hypertexts that may otherwise seem an impenetrable

tangle or arbitrary morass. The reader-s experience of many complex hypertexts is not

one of chaotic disorder, e*en though we cannot yet describe that structure concisely0 the

problem is not that the hypertexts lack structure but rather that we lack words todescribe it.

Looking for Patterns

This paper describes a *ariety of patterns of linkage obser*ed in actual hypertexts.

1ypertext structure does not reside exclusi*ely in the topology of links nor in the

language of indi*idual nodes, and so we must work toward a pattern language through

both topological and rhetorical obser*ation. Instances of these patterns typically range

in scope from a handful of nodes and links to a few hundred. These patterns "%2$"#$ are

components obser*ed within hypertexts, rather than system facilities 3see "4'$5 or plansof a complete work. Typical hypertexts contain instances of many different patterns, and

often a single node or link may participate in se*eral intersecting structures.

I do not argue that the obser*ed structural patterns are uniuely desirable, that superior

patterns cannot be de*ised, or indeed that the writers of these hypertexts meant to use

these patterns at all. I do propose that by considering these patterns, or patterns like

them, writers and editors may be led to more thoughtful, systematic, and sophisticated

designs. These patterns are offered, then, as a step toward de*eloping a richer

*ocabulary of hypertext structure. Examples are drawn from published standalone

hypertexts as well as from the )eb. )eb sites are readily accessible but *olatile6 a site

which today illustrates one structure may be unrecogni+able tomorrow. ublishedhypertexts are less accessible, but are also more permanent. Moreo*er, some important

patterns depend on dynamic links links which depend on the reader-s past

interactions. The )eb itself is statefree, and while *arious implementations of state

dependent beha*iors for the )eb ha*e been proposed, statedependent beha*ior remains

an exceptional case in )eb hypertexts.

Some pattern examples are drawn from literary fiction. I do not belie*e these patterns to

be useful exclusi*ely for fiction0 rather, a *ariety of economic and cultural factors

sometimes encourage experimentation in narrati*e rather than technical writing or

7ournalism. Moreo*er, hypertext fiction tends to be written for general audiences and

may remain a*ailable indefinitely, while speciali+ed reference manuals and 1elpsystems may be shortli*ed and less readily a*ailable to the general reader. 8or does our

interest in structural *ocabulary necessarily imply a structuralist or poststructuralist

stance0 we need to describe phenomena, whate*er our theoretical beliefs "9:$";$. Two

patterns Tree and Seuence ha*e been described many times in the hypertext

literature ";4$"49$. Both are useful, indeed indispensable, and can be found in almost

any hypertext.

Cycle

In the Cycle, the reader returns to a pre*iously*isited node and e*entually departsalong a new path.


3/17

=olb-s Socrates In The Labyrinth"9($ discusses the role of the


4/17

participant eual and resists the tendency to concentrate attention at the directories

themsel*es.

/ conto#r";%$"9&$ is formed where cycles impinge on each other, allowing free

mo*ement within and between the paths defined by each cycle. Mo*ement among the

cycles of a contour is easy, and infreuent links allow more restricted mo*ement fromone contour to another.

Co#nterpoint

In Co#nterpoint, two *oices alternate, interlea*ing themes or welding together theme

and response.


5/17

Digure ;. In Samplers, a list of links connecting two writing spaces becomes an

interstitial *oice in counterpoint to the main text.

Interstitial counterpoint adds hypertext commentary notionally situated between writing

spaces. Interstices ha*e long been used for uotation, both epigraphic and ironic ";#$.

?inks in ?arsen-s Samplersappear in a dialog box a con*entional list of links that

Storyspace authors can use to build an ad hoc multitailed link. The dialog is designed

to be purely functional, showing a list of links by pathname and destination, but ?arsen

has chosen path names so that this list itself can be read as an interstitial poem. Edward

Dalco independently disco*ered the same, unexpected


6/17

funhouse, the content and concerns of 8ewkirk-s 1ypereaders may, through habit or preconception, form an excessi*ely narrow *iew of a

hypertext. Because tangles are difficult to fit into a simple, preconcei*ed structure, they

encourage browsing and disco*ery. Tangles may extend through many writing spaces

";2$ or, like Siegel-s entryway, may be limited to a single Montage. Tangles are

freuently encountered near the beginning of a hypertext, where they disrupt orientation

and create a sense of depth, but


7/17

Moulthrop terms hypertexts robotic when the logic of the hypertext, not reader choice,

tends to dictate the course of a reading "(:$. >obotic tangles like Mary=im /rnold-s

!?ust! "9$ combine complex dynamic structure, rich in broken cycles and other

structural cues, with a dearth of interacti*e choice. This structure ser*es to entice the

reader while frustrating the uest for release and resolution.

Sie)e

Sie)essort readers through one or more layers of choice in order to direct them to

sections or episodes. Sie*es are often trees, but may be multitrees, /s, or nearly

hierarchical graphs0 different topologies may all ser*e the same rhetorical function.

)here the choice is informed and instrumental, sie*es become decision trees. The

Cahoo directory, for example, pro*ides a large sie*e that readers tra*erse to find topical

entry points to the )eb. Sie*es need not be represented as explicit hierarchies0 the 1ot

Sauce M


8/17

Montage is a fact of life in the design of museums and art galleries, where disparate

*isual works are collected in a limited space. Thoughtful architecture and cle*er

arrangement may minimi+e the disrupti*e effects of montage, while 7uxtaposition may

suggest new insights. Some arthistorical hypertexts attempt to recreate the architectural

montage of real or *irtual museum spaces0 often, as in the masterful(us)e d'*rsay+

isite irtuelle, the sub7ect of such a hypertext becomes the museum itself rather thanits collections ";($.

Trellis "'%$ is extensi*ely perhaps primarily concerned with describing and

managing montage.

Neig*%or*oo'

/ Neig*%or*oo'establishes an association among nodes through proximity, shared

ornament, or common na*igational landmarks. Hn*arying thumbtabs, a na*igation bar,

or a miniature site map can all inform readers that the lexia in which they appear are!close! in some planned way. @ust as a prominent church spire shows a walker that two

spots separated by long, winding streets are still in the same neighborhood "(#$,

deliberate display of commonality in a hypertext can express relationships that

indi*idual links might not emphasi+e "'$. 3>osenberg-s episodes "44$ are closely related

to our 8eighborhoods0 !neighborhoods! emphasi+es the presence of patterns of meaning

in the hypertext while !episode! places greater emphasis on the experience these

structures create in the reader-s perception. See also >ossi-s-a.iational %ontexts

pattern"4'$5

Dor example, 8ielsen has described the inherent conflict in large )eb sites between

establishing the identify of a particular hypertext and the identity of the site itself "4#$.If each page of a )eb site is separately designed and optimi+ed for its own purposes,

the site as a whole may lose its coherent identity and its brand name may be obscured.

/s a solution, 8ielsen proposes adopting a uniform na*igational frame or subsite as a

8eighborhood pattern that organi+es the collecti*e site, adding layers of incremental

na*igational ornament to subsites as needed to create subsidiary identities.

isual motifs often reinforce the identity of 8eighborhoods in order to establish

organi+ational context or to call attention to relationships among concepts. )hen(us)e

d'*rsay+ isite irtuelle";($ adopts the structure of the museum to shape the hypertext,

it effecti*ely echoes subtle issues of history, historiography, and politics that ha*e

shaped both the composition and presentation of the national art collection. Millet leadsto


9/17

The Split+oinpattern knits two or more seuences together. SplitF@oin is indispensable

to interacti*e narrati*es in which the reader-s inter*ention changes the course of e*ents.

If each decision changes e*erything that happens subseuently, authors cannot allow the

reader to make many decisions while keeping the work within manageable bounds";9$.

Splits permit the narrati*e to depend on the reader-s choice for a limited span, later

returning the reader 3at least temporarily5 to a central core. 3By recording stateinformation, the author may design subseuentlyencountered seuences to split in

conseuence of an early choice0 these splits, too, will usually be reconciled by a 7oin.5

The Ras*o,onpattern "94$ embeds a split7oin within a cycle. The splitF7oin effecti*ely

breaks the cycle, as readers explore different splits during each recurrent exploration,

yet the cycle remains a prominent frame that pro*ides context for each strand. Sarah

Smith-s/in o0 Space"'&$ uses a threeway split at the end of its entrance seuence to

explore the way casual choices may in*ol*e the reader in acts she would ne*er sanction.

The split appears tri*ial and gamelike when first encountered, but becomes morally

meaningful only after the reader has explored alternati*e paths.

O)er)ie(sand to#rs"'4$"%'$ are examples of SplitF@oin where the rhetorical intent of

each path is similar, but one side of the split is more detailed than the other. )riters

typically offer o*er*iews and tours as a ser*ice, but SplitF@oin need not be purely

utilitarian. In &o#lt*rop!s &o)e, for example, the hypertext offers a Split0 the

hypertext responds ironically to the reader-s apparent moti*ation instead of responding

directly to the link-s o*ert message "(2$, in a style later populari+ed by the )eb

maga+ine Suck. 1ypertext may resist0 it need not merely ser*e the reader-s whims.

&issing Link

/t times, a hypertext may suggest the presence of a link that does not, in fact, exist. Dor

example, Stuart Moulthrop, re*iewingForward Anywhere"(9$, describes his hunt for a

link that his reading of the hypertext led him to expect6

/t this point I began to think the two !nightmare! passages must be connected by a

hypertext link, so I launched the reading program and made my way to Malloy-s screen

about the freight trains of yesteryear.... there were many links to other screens, mainly

screens written by Marshall 3this alternation of narrators is pre*alent throughout the

work5. 8one of the links I followed, howe*er, brought me to Marshall-s *ignette about

?B@ and the headless doll....

Dor those less in lo*e with bindings, howe*er, this case of the apparently missing linkmay tell a different story. /sForward Anywherebrilliantly demonstrates, hypertexts are

structured in more dimensions than the line. If a link is not apparent it may be implicit.

"4&$

/llusion, iteration, and ellipsis can all suggest a Missing ?ink. Structural irregularity,

introduced in a context where regular structure has been established, presents an

especially powerful Missing ?ink, for a place to which we cannot na*igate may seem,

by its inaccessibility, uniuely attracti*e. 1arpold and @oyce ha*e argued separately that

the Missing ?ink is a common if not uni*ersal hypertext motif, that na*igational choice

reuires the reader to imagine not only what might appear on the chosen page but also

what might ha*e appeared had she followed a different link "#4$"#2$.


10/17

Na)igational Feint

The Feintestablishes the existence of a na*igational opportunity that is not meant to be

followed immediately0 instead, the Deint informs the reader of possibilities that may be

pursued in the future. By re*ealing na*igational opportunities e*en where they may not

be immediately pursued, a hypertext writer con*eys *aluable information about the

scope of the hypertext or about the organi+ation of the ideas that underlie it.

Deints often appear in the guise of na*igational apparatus. Dor example, a hypertext may

begin with a map or table of contents that pro*ides an o*er*iew of the entire work and

pro*ides direct access to selected places within the hypertext. )hile the na*igational

function is not unimportant, the rhetorical importance of the o*er*iew itself should not

be o*erlooked.

rominent and detailed na*igational Deints are especially useful for establishing the

scope and shape of a hypertext. @ust as important, Deints may help establish what thehypertext omits. 8otice that the feint need not always be strictly accurate0 it is

sometimes useful to deli*er more than what was initially promised. Dor example, the

classic1yper%ard 234 1elp"($ presented a thumbtab o*er*iew that suggested to new

readers that instructions on programming were only a minor part of the hypertext0

readers who might be deterred from using a complex product were reassured that

programming appeared to be a minor feature. In fact, o*er half of the hypertext was

de*oted to a programming reference manual. The na*igational feint on the co*er

concealed this from programminga*erse users, while those who wanted to consult the

programming section were pleasantly surprised by its unheralded scope.

Moulthrop-s ictory !ardenopens 3in some readings5 with garden maps that schemati+ethe narrati*e "(2$. The core narrati*e in =athryn


11/17

Stephanie Strickland-s True -orth"'#$ and @. Cellowlees ouglas- !I 1a*e Said

8othing! "%%$ use utilitarian Storyspace maps as uncon*entional Deints6 the layout of

lexia simultaneously describes a structure and illustrates a central motif.

Digure 96 True 8orth-s Storyspace map

In addition to their utility as introductory and framing de*ices, Deints may form a

recurrent motif throughout the hypertext-s structure. Spatial narrati*es like(yst"('$

offer na*igational feints in the form of doorways, structures, and other pathways that

intersect the reader-s route0 here, Deints signal possible openings for new narrati*es,

roads the readerprotagonist may later choose to tra*el.

In narrati*e, na*igational feints can establish spatial and temporal relationships without

interrupting the narrati*e strand. By establishing a con*entional link type forexample, an icon denoting !link to a simultaneous e*ent occurring elsewhere! a

narrator can clarify and interconnect disparate e*ents without interrupting the topic

under discussion. /rtful use of feints may also manage dramatic tension through

foreshadowing6 if we pro*ide a link from /lice and 1erschel-s inauspicious first

meeting in a Tulsa oncology clinic to the birth of their daughter in Stockholm, the

knowledge gained from the existence of the link sets up undercurrents of expectation

and inuiry off which the rest of the narrati*e may play. By disclosing some parts of the

future we may refocus the reader-s attention and shift tension from one dramatic thread

to another, or may shift energy from wondering how e*ents unfold to permit better

concentration on why they unfold as they do "9#$"#&$"4$.

The Deint is also important in the design of hypertextual catalogs. /s department stores

disco*ered long ago, it is important both to offer the shopper a comprehensi*e array of

desirable goods and to arrange those goods to form a coherent and compelling tra7ectory

as the customer mo*es through the store. /t its best, this pro*ides efficiencies for both

the shopper and the store6 shoppers disco*er items they want to buy but might otherwise

ha*e o*erlooked, and the store gains additional transactions without incurring additional

marketing costs.


12/17

Concl#sion- Co,%ining Patterns

/ll the patterns discussed here may 3and usually do5 contain other patterns as

components. /


13/17

9. Mary=im /rnold, !?ust!,astate $uarterly 5e.iew o0 1ypertext,;22#. ;3%5.

(. Bill /tkinson,1yper%ard. ;2:', /pple obert i+k, /ndre. ;22&,


14/17

%#. @. Cellowlees. ouglas,Print Pathways and Interacti.e Labyrinths+ 1ow 1ypertext

-arrati.es A00ect the Act o0 5eadin3;22%, 8ew Cork Hni*ersity6 8ew Cork.

%9. =. M. Dairchild, S. E. oltrock and ). Durnas, !Sem8et6 threedimensional

graphic representation of large knowledge bases!, in %oniti.e Science and its

Applications 0or 1uman:%omputer Interaction,>. uinon, Editor. ;2::, ?awrenceErlbaum6 1illsdale 8@. p. %&;%##.

%(. Edward Dalco,A #ream &ith #emons3;22', Eastgate Systems, Inc.6 )atertown,

Massachusetts.

%4. Edward Dalco, !Sea Island!,astate $uarterly 5e.iew o0 1ypertext,;22(. %3;5.

%'. >ichard Duruta, et al., !1ypertext aths and the )orld)ide )eb6 Experiences with

)alden-s aths!, inProc3 o0 1ypertext'793;22', Southampton, H=. p. ;4';'4.

%:. Sil*io aggi,From Text To 1ypertext+ #ecenterin the Subobert @. lushko, esign Issues for Multiocument 1ypertexts, in1ypertext'873

;2:2, ittsburgh. p. (;4&.

#9. /drienne Eisen, Six Sex Scenes+ a no.ella in hypertext3;224,

www.altx.comFhyperxFsssFindex.htm6

#(. Shelley>and 1ersel03;224, Eastgate

Systems, Inc.6 )atertown M/.

#:. Michael @oyce, a0ternoon, a story3;22&, Eastgate Systems, Inc.6 )atertown, M/.


15/17

#2. Michael @oyce, !8once Hpon Some Times6 >ereading 1ypertext Diction!,(odern

Fiction Studies,;22'. 9#3#56 p. ('2(2'.

9&. Michael @oyce, *0 Two (inds+ 1ypertext Pedaoy and Poetics3;229, /nn /rbor6

Hni*ersity of Michigan ress.

9;. Michael. @oyce, !Siren Shapes6 Exploratory and epresented itchie,5ashomon. >utgers Dilms in rint, ol. 4.

;2:', >utgers Hni*ersity ress. %&;.

9'. eorge . ?andow, The #ickens &eb3;22%, Eastgate Systems, Inc.6 )atertown,

M/.

9:. eorge . ?andow,1ypertext ?34+ The %on.erence o0 %ontemporary %ritical

Theory and Technoloy,%nd edn. ;22', Baltimore6 @ohns 1opkins ress.

92. eorge . ?andow. !>elationally Encoded ?inks and the >hetoric of 1ypertext!,

1ypertext 893;2:'.


16/17

(4. @ohn Mcaid, "ncle Buddy's Phantom Funhouse3;22%, Eastgate Systems, Inc.6

)atertown, M/.

('. >and and >obyn Miller,(yst. ;22#, ise of the SubSite!,Alertbox,;224.

http6FFwww.useit.comFalertboxF24&2.html.

49. 1.*an yk arunak, 1ypermedia Topologies and Hser 8a*igation, in roc. of

1ypertext '873;2:2, ittsburgh. p. 9#(&.

4(.


17/17

'9. >andall 1. Trigg, !uided Tours and Tabletops6 Tools for

Documents

TICs Hipertexto Modelos