Conflict resolution and The Battle of Maldon: A Practical Study Of The Combination Of Hypertext,
Usability And Literary Theories. The proposed paper investigates the implications and reality behind the convergence of information science, literary theory and hypertext. Advocates of new technologies argue that the presentation of literary texts via the medium of hypertext has led to a major shift in these activities, taking the processes of the reader much closer to those of the writer. This, they believe, creates a more dynamic, active learning medium for the scholar of the literary text. This notion has led literary theorists to hallmark hypertext as a practical embodiment of textual theory. They have drawn parallels between the hypertext edition and the theories of Roland Barthes, Jacques Derrida and Julia Kristeva which proposed "readerly", "decentred" and "associative" texts.
The project was undertaken in collaboration between Sheffield University Department of Information Studies, and Oxford University Humanities Computing Unit and Faculty of English. The methodology for the project consisted of the study of a number of hypertext editions from two theoretical perspectives - textual theory and
Usability theory. From this a set of guidelines as to what extent literary theory can be incorporated within hypertext in a usable manner was developed. These were then put into practice through the design and development of a web based hypertext course pack to support students studying Old English at the faculty of English in Oxford. The inclusion of an online edition of the epic poem "The Battle of Maldon" created an exciting and challenging opportunity to disseminate the research findings into practice. The site was then tested using a series of usability tests to find if it was an effective model for studying literature.
This combination of methodologies represents important original work. Scholars of English and of hypertext have worked on literary theory and its application to the hypertext medium. Information scientists have performed research into usability and human computer interaction. However the application of the two methodologies to a practical study in the humanities represents an important innovation in both research areas.
The findings of the research indicated that whilst hypertext editions may naturally adhere to certain aspects of textual theory, literary theory and technology do not converge on the computer screen in a way that is beneficial to reader of literature Hypertext theorists Landow, Bolter and Moulthrop have produced hypertext systems that have attempted to practically embody textual theory through the use of advanced linking systems, authoring software and non-hierarchical structures. However, when presented to the end user they appear confusing and complicated ignoring the basic tenant of any system design – "usability". As a result of further study of usability theory (e.g. Faulkner 2000, Morkes and Neilsen 1997, Kostelnick 1989), and design heuristics (e.g. Shneiderman 1998, Neilsen 1993, Norman 1988), it became clear that ultimately these systems serve readers poorly and in the long term fail as a vehicle for learning.