Principles of hypermedia design: An autoethnographic case study of one designer's experience

This thesis presents an autoethnographic case study of one designer's experience of creating hypermedia educational resources. The case study is situated within a university and covers a six year period of rapid technological change, during which time three hypermedia educational resources were under construction. The study combines experiences in the workplace with understandings emerging in the literature to develop an 'enlightened eye' with which to view the task of hypermedia design.\ud \ud The experiences on which this study was based were captured through the recording of 'reflections-in-action' and the collection of documents and artefacts related to the design process. Informal discussions and interactions with visitors to the workplace such as grant providers, overseas guests of the university, technicians, peers and colleagues were also documented and collected. These data were then sorted chronologically and analysed according to their relationship to conceptual, technical and social aspects of the design process. The information thus gained was used as the basis for a narrative that tells the story of hypermedia design from the unique perspective of one designer's involvement during the period 1993 to 1999.\ud \ud While technical difficulties and unrealistic expectations dominated the early stages of the design process, as time progressed other problems developed. Difficulties caused by the effects of standardisation of navigation features and the increasing popularity of the internet on audience expectations; lack of definition of the boundaries and conventions of hypermedia; lack of differentiation between types of hypermedia products and language differences between the various specialists involved in creating hypermedia all presented problems that influenced design decisions.\ud \ud However, amongst these many concerns, one significant theme emerged and strengthened. This theme reflected an ongoing interest in the relationship between the attributes of self-directed learning and the design of hypermedia environments. \ud It had become apparent from workplace experience that facing the high-choice learning environment of hypermedia requires not only external controls, such as navigation buttons and search facilities, in order to exercise choice, but more importantly, the internal control that comes from being an experienced self-directed learner. Thereby, a shift in the focus of design, away from the external features of the technology towards providing support for the more internal aspects of self-direction, occurred and was investigated. Wider interest in applying the pedagogy of self-directed learning to the task of hypermedia design was confirmed in the literature and the practical means of achieving such support for self-direction, within the limitations of the research setting, were explored.\ud \ud The study resulted in the formation of fifteen principles of hypermedia design. These principles are presented as a guiding framework for three topics of conversation that need to take place amongst the various specialists involved in production. The conversations address pedagogical concerns, especially in relation to providing support for self-direction; curriculum concerns; and practical concerns of particular importance to the conceptualisation phase of hypermedia projects. The thesis concludes by advocating the integration of these three conversations to form an underlying rationale for the design of all hypermedia educational programs