Abstract:

The massive growth of online information has made the process of locating appropriate information complex particularly when individuals are characterised by changeable needs. One solution for supporting such users is to develop systems that personalise content and layout according to these changeable needs. This research developed a prototype for personalising information and investigated the appropriateness of using personalisation techniques. It focused on people with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) who have changeable needs. This prototype was developed to provide personalised content, links and content presentation. A number of personalisation techniques and models that are used in the domain of adaptive hypermedia were selected in the development of the prototype system. Furthermore, XML, XSL and the Apache Cocoon framework were used for this development. Users were involved in testing during the implementation phase of the prototype. Feedback helped to determine users’ personalisation needs and to understand the characteristics of effective personalised systems within the MS
domain. Results from this research revealed a variety of user needs; it showed that provision of personalised content in terms of the complexity and content presentation and giving users the opportunity to control the personalisation process, enhanced the access of people with MS to information resources. Furthermore, results of this research helped modify the components of a well-known adaptation model – the  AHAM model