WWW-Graph: A Graph-Based System for Web Browsing

In hypermedia environments, especially those of large dimensions such as the World Wide Web (WWW), the description of browsing can not be considered an easy task, not only due to the particular organization of hyperdocuments, but also to the dynamic changes suffered by browsing whenever an hyperdocument is included, changed, or deleted in that complex space. Despite the great efforts to design better browsing interfaces, user disorientation is still a frequent problem. This disorientation is a natural consequence of the process of following links between web pages without having a vision of context, which places the user in a hyperspace frequently too large and disordered. This paper proposes a graphical browser denominated WWW-Graph, which allows the user to browse using a graph that shows at every moment: the current page, the links out of it and a wider view of the browsing environment than a simple web browser. In addition, the WWW-Graph system can be personalized by the users, setting the precise browsing context they desire to show and how they want to visualize it, for example by including in it personal marks that allow a better orientation.