Gardens

Pt. 1 — Map

Starting at the top of the page, I chose the (link) Mark Bernstein > Eastgate.com Mark Bernstein > (link) Where are the hypertexts?, which did not load.

Trying another link from (link) Eastgate.com Mark Bernstein > (link) Eastgate.com Storyspace for Windows > Storyspace Overview > Storyspace Views > Cyborg: engineering the body electric > Diane Greco > Home page, which said that the link is forbidden and that I don’t have permission to access the page. Back to Gardens.

Into the Garden > (Link) How can the craft of hypertext invite readers to stay, to explore, and to reflect? > (page) A New Path > (Link) Chasing Our Tales > (Page) Chasing Our Tails > (Link) Beyond the navigation problem > (Page) beyond the navigation problem > (link) development of the web > (Page) recapitulation > (Link) The limits of structure > (Page) the limits of structure > (link) virtue of irregularity > (page) virtue of irregularity > (link) exactly as expected > (Page) shapes of space > (Link) the promise of the unexpected > (page) unexpected delight > (link) gates and signposts > (page) Gates and signposts > (link) order, too > (page) repetition > (link) the effect of repetition > (page) establishing order > (link) statuary and follies > (page) Statuary and Follies: Punctuating the Reader Experience > (link) sharper relief through their constructed contrast > (page) punctuation > (link) Planning pathways > (page) planning pathways > (link) the best routes > (page) the best route > (link) more than they expect > (page) curves and crossings > (link) explore more deeply > (page) seven lessons from gardening > (link) In conclusion > (page) Garden’s end

Pt. 2 — Notes, and connection to Price

Starting on the home page, I wasn’t really sure what to do or which links to click — do I start at the top and work my way down, or do I click the link that sounds the most interesting? I decided to start at the top, which was the link to Mark Bernstein, and that led me down a rabbit hole that was completely not part of the assignment (I did originally have a huge typed map that I followed outside of the garden, until I realized that the assignment meant stay IN the garden. If you have the option to view my history, go for it, it was both awful and amazing).

Eventually I found my way clicking through the garden. I thought the name “Garden” was an interesting choice. It’s like the Web is constantly changing and users are constantly adding to and creating new content that sometimes it feels rather wild. But a garden is something that is created and tended to over time, and generally only things that are wanted are planted and cultivated. It’s the same idea with the Web and use of links — create content that is, for whatever reason, wanted, expand the information over time, possibly grow beyond the original idea, all the while tending things. This relates back to the notes from Price this week, as one rule of (green) thumb is to avoid “link rot” by checking that outbound links are still valid. And, also to make sure that any links used within a site are also valid — if things get moved around or a URL is changed, to have a redirect in place.

Throughout the Garden, I noted the visuals in place. The first few linked pages didn’t include photos. The first photo I came across was used on the page Beyond the Navigation Problem. It featured a map. But, this wasn’t a map for navigating roads or trails. This was a map to navigate the internet. If this Garden had been more complicated, my map probably would have looked like this one, with some pages linking to multiple other pages rather than one or two, and some pages being linked back to by more than one other page. Links, links, links.

The Limits of Structure had a simple visual repeating down the page. It reminded me of molecular structures. This page talked about how the way content and navigational tools are structured on a site can affect its usability — such as, adding a link to the home page on every page. It seems like this Garden is telling me not to do this, but I think it actually is a good idea to always link back to the home page, or to whatever page is the most useful for a particular site or for a particular page, etc. Clicking through the Garden, I wasn’t sure if I was on the right track, and I had a really difficult time trying to figure out how to return to the home page. I finally just followed the link from the class wiki. For some users, having a sort of navigational center seems pointless. For others, not having a navigational center can be frustrating, and may actually prevent a user of returning. Price suggests showing users where they are, as it can be super helpful for people such as myself.

The page Shapes of Space initially had me wondering how this was relevant. I had a slight idea, but really wanted to know how the link between parks and gardens, and hypertext were related. The next page, Unexpected Delight, explained, and seemed to value both a rigid design and a more organic, fluid design. A rigid design gives a user confidence with consistency in usability, and adding unique elements keeps things interesting — and encourages users to return.

Repetition is one good way to organize content, including links. In the book, Price talks about trying to keep the same font used for the link as is used on the target page to avoid confusion. Price also says to always use the same type of links for the same types of content. Also, discussed by Price, is branding on every page, at least once as the minimum. This way, users can tell they are still on the same site, new users jumping onto a random page can tell where they landed, and print outs of pages enable the readers to find their way back for more information (or for bibliography purposes, or whatever).

Establishing Order talks about the difference between gardens and parks, which is that parks generally include architectural elements, and stated that hypertext can be used in the overall design of a site.

I liked the page Punctuation. It was short, but I got the point. Punctuation isn’t just commas and question marks. Hypertext can also be used as punctuation. It can be used to influence a reader into thinking or feeling a certain way prior to clicking a link. This is relevant to Price in two ways. One, making a link the emphatic element in a sentence or paragraph. It’s supposed to add to what is being said, but it can, and should, also serve as a clincher. Two, links can be used to bait a reader into clicking. They can be worded in ways that evoke some sort of emotional response, such as “This makes me sick”, or to pique a reader’s interest with phrases such as “Only nerds will get this”, or “At first, I thought this was stupid, but thirty seconds in, my life was changed”.

The page Planning Pathways compares highways and garden paths, and walking a garden path to use of hypertext. Basically, it’s not always about what gets you there the fastest, it’s about the best way to get somewhere. Relevancy is in Price stating that links should be used to provide additional material, not just to keep things short and spread out. Also, to give users an idea of what is useful or relevant vs what may be off topic, a relevance rating should be included. Sure, as the generator of some content I could give my readers all of the information. But, I should probably give just enough information, and link to more information. This way, the reader is given basic info, and can decide the best way to navigate through more information — my job in this case would be to provide access to some relevant, or maybe not so relevant, information. Price also states that the first page should be used for all of the most important information, and other pages should be used for more specific information — such as, tutorials, examples, and case studies.

Still, The Best Route isn’t supposed to be a long, confusing mess. Price warns against building too many “basements”. If more than a few links are going to be used, it’s probably best to keep them organized and in list form.