Navigation Patterns and Usability of Zoomable User Interfaces With and Without an Overview

摘要

The literature on information visualization establishes the usability of interfaces with an overview of the information space, but for zoomable user interfaces, results are mixed. The authors compared zoomable user interfaces with and without an overview to understand the navigation patterns and usability of these interfaces. Thirty-two subjects solved navigation and browsing tasks on two maps, one of Washington State (no-overview interface) and the other of Montana (overview interface). There were no differences between interfaces in subjects' ability to solve tasks correctly, but 80 percent of the subjects preferred the interface with an overview, stating that it supported navigation and helped keep track of their position on the map. However, subjects were faster in completing tasks when using the map without an overview, which may have been due to the organization of that map. The Washington map was organized in multiple levels, which rendered the overview unnecessary by providing richer navigation cues through semantic zooming. The combination of the Washington map and the interface without an overview also improved subjects' recall of objects on the map. Subjects who switched between the overview and the detail windows used more time, suggesting that integration of overview and detail windows adds complexity and requires additional mental and motor effort. (9 figures, 41 refs.).