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Technology Infrastructure: The Internet and the World Wide Web

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Reading a linear Reading a hypertext 2015
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FIGURE 2-8 Linear versus nonlinear paths through documents
Web sites can use links to direct customers to pages on the company’s Web server.
The way links lead customers through pages can affect the usefulness of the site and can
play a major role in shaping customers’ impressions of the company. Two commonly used
link structures are linear and hierarchical. A linear hyperlink structure resembles
conventional paper documents in that the reader begins on the first page and clicks the
Next button to move to the next page in a serial fashion. This structure works well when
customers fill out forms prior to a purchase or other agreement. In this case, the customer
reads and responds to page one, and then moves on to the next page. This process
continues until the entire form is completed. The only Web page navigation choices the
user typically has are Back and Next.
Another link arrangement is called a hierarchical structure. In a hierarchical
hyperlink structure, the Web user opens an introductory page called a home page or start
page. This page contains one or more links to other pages, and those pages, in turn, link
to other pages. This hierarchical arrangement resembles an inverted tree in which the
root is at the top and the branches are below it. Hierarchical structures are good for
leading customers from general topics or products to specific product models and
quantities. A company’s home page might contain links to help, company history,
company officers, order processing, frequently asked questions, and product catalogs.
Many sites that use a hierarchical structure include a page on the Web site that
contains a map or outline listing of the Web pages in their hierarchical order. This page is
called a site map. Of course, hybrid designs that combine linear and hierarchical
structures are also possible. Figure 2-9 illustrates these three common Web page
organization structures.

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