Abstract. We describe WEST, a WEb browser for Small Terminals, that aims to solve some of the problems associated with accessing web pages on hand-held devices. Through a novel combination of text reduction and focus+context visualization, users can access web pages from a very limited display environment, since the system will provide an overview of the contents of a web page even when it is too large to be displayed in its entirety. To make maximum use of the limited resources available on a typical hand-held terminal, much of the most demanding work is done by a proxy server, allowing the terminal to concentrate on the task of providing responsive user interaction. The system makes use of some interaction concepts reminiscent of those defined in the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), making it possible to utilize the techniques described here for WAP-compliant devices and services that may become available in the near future. Keywords. Hand-held devices, web browser, proxy systems, focus+context visualization, text reduction, flip zooming, WAP (wireless application protocol) 1

Interactive fisheye views allow users to edit data and manipulate objects through the distortion lens. Although several varieties of fisheye lens exist, little is known about how the different types fare for different interactive tasks. In this paper, we investigate one kind of interaction – layout of graphical objects – that can be problematic in fisheyes. Layout involves judgments of distance, alignment, and angle, all of which can be adversely affected by the distortion of a fisheye. We compared performance on layout tasks with three kinds of fisheye: a full-screen pyramid lens, a constrained hemispherical lens, and a constrained flat-topped hemisphere. We found that accuracy was significantly better with the constrained lenses compared to the full-screen lens, and also that the simple hemisphere was better at higher levels of distortion than the flat-topped version. The study shows that although there is a cost to doing layout through distortion, it is feasible, particularly with constrained lenses. In addition, our findings provide initial empirical evidence of the differences between competing fisheye varieties.

The World Wide Web and its browsers have created a large and changing information space that is intended to be accessible to users with a minimal level of technical expertise. Web information is said to exist in a "Webspace " that presumably carries with it some (but perhaps not all) of the characteristics of a physical space. This metaphor of moving through a space contrasts with the prevalent "desktop metaphor" of tools specialized for specific tasks. The less constrained tasks and changing information on the Web calls for a correspondingly flexible information visualization approach.The fluidity of our proposed interface requires us to rely less on visual semantics (e.g. icons) in our design, and more on basic aspects of human cognitive architecture: spatial cognition, visual attention and indexical cognition (FINST) models.

We have developed and evaluated a prototype image browser based on flip zooming, a focus+context visualization technique. In a formative evaluation, we contrasted the technique with two other methods to present images. The evaluation showed that users appreciated the overview that the flip zooming prototype provided. However, we also learned that the current prototype lacked some important features, and that some users felt that the flip zooming layout was confusing. By using a formative evaluation method we gained valuable information which may be used when developing this or other focus+context techniques. Keywords Focus+context views, fisheye views, formative evaluation, image browsing, information visualization INTRODUCTION Small screens and the big picture Despite the advances in human-computer interface research during recent years, the basic channel that is used for communicating information from the computer to the user has remained the same: a screen. Computer displays hav...

. This paper describes the Digital Variants Browser, a novel prototype for visualizing large amounts of text information. It is specifically designed to help the study of several different versions or writing stages of the same text by providing an overview of the entire text material. The overview visually shows the changes between the different versions of the text and makes comparisons easier. The browser has been developed at the Viktoria Institute in association with the Digital Variants Project and utilizes Flip Zooming, a focus + context visualization technique. The paper discusses the development of the techniques used in the prototype. 1 Introduction The increased availability of digital resources, e.g. literary databases, and the possibility of getting information over networks, have vastly enhanced the possibilities of humanities scholars. Researchers have no longer to travel to specialised libraries to find rare books and documents, but can instead download texts...

The goal of this study was to investigate spatial learning in a large-scale virtual environment. Our hypothesis was that participants who had actively piloted a virtual vehicle through the terrain (Drivers) would outperform passive learners (Passengers) in both route memory (drive along the path without a guide) and global terrain knowledge (drive between novel pairs of stations in the same landscape). Our results showed the opposite effect, suggesting that attentional limitations may have played a larger role in learning a virtual environment than active versus passive learning mode.

The World Wide Web and its browsers have created a large and changing information space that is intended to be accessible to users with a minimal level of technical expertise. Web information is said to exist in a "Webspace " that presumably carries with it some (but perhaps not all) of the characteristics of a physical space. This metaphor of moving through a space contrasts with the prevalent "desktop metaphor" of tools specialized for specific tasks. The less constrained tasks and changing information on the Web calls for a correspondingly flexible information visualization approach.The fluidity of our proposed interface requires us to rely less on visual semantics (e.g. icons) in our design, and more on basic aspects of human cognitive architecture: spatial cognition, visual attention and indexical cognition (FINST) models.