Improving knowledge navigation with adaptive hypermedia.

Web applications provide access to a tremendous amount of information: hypertext, hypermedia and on-line databases. However, since users' knowledge, motivation and goals are different, they cannot find the relevant information in the data being diffused. Giving the users applications or environments that will take their differences into account is one way of improving their access to knowledge. The authors' objective is to improve knowledge navigation by adapting users' navigation. Adaptive hypermedia is one way of returning information adapted to the user. This paper presents an adaptive hypermedia system based on user representation with the stereotype model. Both adaptive presentation and navigation techniques are also implemented. This paper focuses on the architecture of the general adaptive hypermedia system as well as adaptivity management. A-TOP, a medical adaptive hypermedia prototype implemented in a hospital intranet system, is described. Adaptive hypermedia is a preliminary approach to the vast problem of user access to knowledge. In conclusion, we hope to extend our reflections to the problems involved in access to knowledge on the World Wide Web (Web).