Individual Differences and Navigation in Hypermedia

This study derives from two important observations. First, that navigation in hypermedia is a difficult task, and second, that individual cognitive differences play a role in how well users are able to efficiently use computer systems. We found that of the cognitive abilities tested in our study, only spatial ability could be related to the time spent in completing a set of tasks in a large, hypermedia, information structure. We furthermore found that it was only certain aspects of spatial ability which were related to the ability navigate in hypermedia, namely those related to solving spatial problems mentally rather than solving spatial problems in the physical world