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Amsterdam, 587-592. With the advent of hypertext it has become widely accepted that the departure from the so-called “linear ” structure of paper increases the likelihood of readers or users becoming lost. In this paper we will discuss this aspect of hypertext in terms of its validity, the lessons to be learned from the psychology of navigation and the applicability of the navigation metaphor to the hypertext domain. 1. IS NAVIGATION A PROBLEM? There is a striking consensus among many of the “experts ” in the field that navigation is the single greatest difficulty for users of hypertext. Frequent reference is made to “getting lost in hyperspace ” (e.g. Conklin 1987, McAleese 1989), and Hammond and Allinson (1989) speak for many when they say: “Experience with using hypertext systems has revealed a number of problems for users..... First, users get lost... Second, users may find it difficult to gain an overview of the material... Third, even if users know specific information is present they may have difficulty finding it ” (p294). In the following section we will discuss what is known about the psychology of navigation in physical environments and show how this might have relevance to the ‘virtual ’ worlds of information space. 2. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF NAVIGATION

Difficulties with orientation are common in hyperdocuments. This paper describes an exploratory study into the role of a navigation map, as a helping tool, during browsing processes. We tried to establish the influence of this navigational tool, provided by a hypermedia prototype, in retrieval tasks. Twenty-two students tested this prototype and some data were collected: scores obtained in a task-test and a record of the path followed by the subjects. With these data we defined a set of ratios as an attempt to understand the subjects ’ browsing processes. Findings suggest that the map was not effective in the ameliorative role. Perhaps it is not wise to assume that a map that helps performance in a spatial context also forms an aid in a hypermedia environment under a nonhierarchical model. Hypermedia environments are complex systems based in a nonlinear

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