Online and hypermedia information design

As professional communication makes the transition to new media and technologies, it is important to keep in mind the basic design issues that make the quality and usability of information possible. Professional communicators face a challenge as the role they play in the workplace changes in step with the technology. Building online and hypermedia information systems require versatility and a variety of skills both on an individual basis and within publication teams. Evaluating and building systems for the online medium requires that professional communicators be conversant in the basic building blocks necessary to understand and create effective systems. The objective of this paper is to provide a basic understanding of the issues involved in the design of online and hypermedia systems. Particular attention is given to document structure, writing style, screen and graphic design, and hypermedia design