Exploiting link types during the conceptual design of websites

Abstract

With recent developments in World Wide Web technology, expressiveness of websites and web applications is starting to converge to the functionality offered by Open Hypermedia Systems. In this paper, we examine how link typing, and an appropriate link definition can be used during the website design process. Different existing approaches to link categorisation are reviewed before going into closer detail to the concept of link and its properties. Next, four different types of links are defined, with a description of how each of them can be exploited to enhance the design process as well as the usability of the website. Explicitly modelling the links as belonging to one of these four categories during the design phase allows separaration of concerns during the modelling process; provides for clearer design guidelines; allows for better usability, multiple customised presentations, and other automatically generated enhancements to websites (e.g. site map, in-page navigation structures, etc). The approach is presented in the context of WSDM, an audience driven website design method, but the principles are generally applicable.