Abstract

Documents can be seen as containers of content items (representing ideas, beliefs, facts, and so on). By creating different types of connections among content items, an interconnective structure can be formed. This research project explores new approaches to representational concepts for mapping and accessing the interconnective structure of documents to enable new ways of traversing documents through interaction. These concepts have been derived through examining prominent document systems considered influential in the evolution of information technologies. The method is based on an iterative process of content creation, concept design, and creating interactive prototypes of a digital document system.

Based on the conception of documents as modular, the resulting prototype comprises three bidirectional link types developed for mapping connections according to type: taglink, seqlink, and transclusion. The prototype uses sample content developed throughout the process, serving as an example of how these three link types can be applied to realize the interconnective structure of documents.

Two view modes have been developed to engage with the complexity of information, enabling zooming in and out to gain different perspectives on documents at different levels of detail. And tags can be attached to links and documents, enabling a grouping mechanism and the capability to filter to view a subset of the document collection based on any taxonomy.