Visual-Spatial Thinking in Hypertexts
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/stc/tc/2001/00000048/00000001/art00004
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  peer-reviewed

Johnson-Sheehan, Richard D. and Craig Baehr
Technical Communication Online
2001

Abstract:

This article explores what it means to think visually and spatially in hypertexts. As visual-spatial texts, hypertexts urge users to think differently than they do with paper-based (verbal-linear) texts, perceiving the hypertext in three-dimensions and imagining the possible 'future paths' that might be followed in the text. Drawing from research on visual-spatial thinking from cognitive science, we explore how users react and maneuver in real and virtual three-dimensional spaces. Then we offer four principles of visual thinking that can be applied to the development of hypertexts. Illustrative uses of these principles are provided.