We describe a new information structure composed of multiple intersecting hierarchies, which we c... more We describe a new information structure composed of multiple intersecting hierarchies, which we call a Polyarchy.
The Task Gallery is a window manager that uses interactive 3D graphics to provide direct support ... more The Task Gallery is a window manager that uses interactive 3D graphics to provide direct support for task management and document comparison, lacking from many systems implementing the desktop metaphor. User tasks appear as artwork hung on the walls of a virtual art gallery, with the selected task on a stage. Multiple documents can be selected and displayed side-by-side using 3D space to provide uniform and intuitive scaling. The Task Gallery hosts any Windows application, using a novel redirection mechanism that routes input and output between the 3D environment and unmodified 2D Windows applications. User studies suggest that the Task Gallery helps with task management, is enjoyable to use, and that the 3D metaphor evokes spatial memory and cognition.
ZoneZoom is an input technique that lets users traverse large information spaces on smartphones. ... more ZoneZoom is an input technique that lets users traverse large information spaces on smartphones. Our technique ZoneZoom, segments a given view of an information space into nine sub-segments, each of which is mapped to a key on the number keypad of the smartphone. This segmentation can be hand-crafted by the information space author or dynamically created at run-time. ZoneZoom supports "spring-loaded" view shifting which allows users to easily "glance" at nearby areas and then quickly return to their current view. Our ZoneZoom technique lets users gain an overview and compare information from different parts of a dataset. SmartPhlow is an optimized application for browsing a map of local-area road traffic conditions.
As large displays become more affordable, researchers are investigating the effects on productivi... more As large displays become more affordable, researchers are investigating the effects on productivity, and techniques for making the large display user experience more effective. Recent work has demonstrated significant productivity benefits, but has also identified numerous usability issues that inhibit productivity. Studies show that larger displays enable users to create and manage many more windows, as well as to engage in more complex multitasking behavior. In this paper, we describe various usability issues, including losing track of the cursor, accessing windows and icons at a distance, dealing with bezels in multimonitor displays, window management, and task management. We also present several novel techniques that address these issues and make users more productive on large display systems.
We describe the design and functionality of the Scope, a glanceable notification summarizer. The ... more We describe the design and functionality of the Scope, a glanceable notification summarizer. The Scope is an information visualization designed to unify notifications and minimize distractions. It allows users to remain aware of notifications from multiple sources of information, including e-mail, instant messaging, information alerts, and appointments. The design employs a circular radar-like screen divided into sectors that group different kinds of notifications. The more urgent a notification is, the more centrally it is placed. Visual emphasis and annotation is used to reveal important properties of notifications. Several natural gestures allow users to zoom in on particular regions and to selectively drill down on items. We present key aspects of the Scope design, review the results of an initial user study, and describe the motivation and outcome of an iteration on the visual design. Figure 1 Scope (Figure 2 shows same in color).
Effective management of documents on computers has been a central user interface problem for many... more Effective management of documents on computers has been a central user interface problem for many years. One common approach involves using 2D spatial layouts of icons representing the documents, particularly for information workspace tasks. This approach takes advantage of human 2D spatial cognition. More recently, several 3D spatial layouts have engaged 3D spatial cognition capabilities. Some have attempted to use spatial memory in 3D virtual environments. However, there has been no proof to date that spatial memory works the same way in 3D virtual environments as it does in the real world. We describe a new technique for document management called the Data Mountain, which allows users to place documents at arbitrary positions on an inclined plane in a 3D desktop virtual environment using a simple 2D interaction technique. We discuss how the design evolved in response to user feedback. We also describe a user study that shows that the Data Mountain does take advantage of spatial memory. Our study shows that the Data Mountain has statistically reliable advantages over the Microsoft Internet Explorer Favorites mechanism for managing documents of interest in an information workspace.
We describe a new information structure composed of multiple intersecting hierarchies, which we c... more We describe a new information structure composed of multiple intersecting hierarchies, which we call Polyarchies. Visualizing polyarchies enables use of novel views for discovery of relationships which are very difficult using existing hierarchy visualization tools. This paper will describe the visualization design and system architecture challenges as well as our current solutions. A Mid-Tier Cache architecture is used as a "polyarchy server" which supports a novel web-based polyarchy visualization technique, called Visual Pivot. A series of five user studies guided iterative design of Visual Pivot.
Accessing and manipulating occluded content in layered 2D drawings can be difficult. This paper c... more Accessing and manipulating occluded content in layered 2D drawings can be difficult. This paper characterizes a design space of techniques that facilitate access to occluded content. In addition, we introduce two new tools, Tumbler and Splatter, which represent unexplored areas of the design space. Finally, we present results of a study that contrasts these two tools against the traditional scene index used in most drawing applications. Results show that Splatter is comparable to and can be better than the scene index. Our findings allow us to understand the inherent design tradeoffs, and to identify areas for further improvement.
D espite the increasing affordability and availability of large displays, most users continue to ... more D espite the increasing affordability and availability of large displays, most users continue to have display space that represents less than 10 percent of their physical workspace area. Similarly, many current interfaces assume that users have a relatively small display to access the much larger virtual world. Several factors indicate that this is now changing. The PC's increasing graphical-processing power is fueling a demand for larger and more capable display devices. Several operating systems have supported work with multiple displays for some time. This fact, coupled with graphic-card advancements over the past 10 years, has led to an increase in multiple monitor (multimon) use. Microsoft commissioned a Harris poll of 1,197 Windows OS users, and found that up to 20 percent of the information worker users ran multimons from a PC or laptop. Many other users are becoming aware that running multimons is an option.
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 2006
The dominant paradigm for searching and browsing large data stores is text-based: presenting a sc... more The dominant paradigm for searching and browsing large data stores is text-based: presenting a scrollable list of search results in response to textual search term input. While this works well for the Web, there is opportunity for improvement in the domain of personal information stores, which tend to have more heterogeneous data and richer metadata. In this paper, we introduce FacetMap, an interactive, query-driven visualization, generalizable to a wide range of metadata-rich data stores. FacetMap uses a visual metaphor for both input (selection of metadata facets as filters) and output. Results of a user study provide insight into tradeoffs between FacetMap's graphical approach and the traditional text-oriented approach.
Sometimes users fail to notice a change that just took place on their display. For example, the u... more Sometimes users fail to notice a change that just took place on their display. For example, the user may have accidentally deleted an icon or a remote collaborator may have changed settings in a control panel. Animated transitions can help, but they force users to wait for the animation to complete. This can be cumbersome, especially in situations where users did not need an explanation. We propose a different approach. Phosphor objects show the outcome of their transition instantly; at the same time they explain their change in retrospect. Manipulating a phosphor slider, for example, leaves an afterglow that illustrates how the knob moved. The parallelism of instant outcome and explanation supports both types of users. Users who already understood the transition can continue interacting without delay, while those who are inexperienced or may have been distracted can take time to view the effects at their own pace. We present a framework of transition designs for widgets, icons, and objects in drawing programs. We evaluate phosphor objects in two user studies and report significant performance benefits for phosphor objects.
As large displays become more affordable, researchers are investigating their effects on producti... more As large displays become more affordable, researchers are investigating their effects on productivity, and techniques for making the large display user experience more effective. Recent work has demonstrated significant productivity benefits, but has also identified numerous usability issues with current software design not scaling well. Studies show that larger displays enable users to create and manage many more windows, as well as to engage in more complex multitasking behavior. In this overview, various usability issues, including problems around accessing windows and icons at a distance, window management, and task management, will be discussedSeveral novel interaction techniques that address these issues and make users more productive across multiple sizes of displays will be explored.
Our studies have shown that as displays become larger, users leave more windows open for easy mul... more Our studies have shown that as displays become larger, users leave more windows open for easy multitasking. A larger number of windows, however, may increase the time that users spend arranging and switching between tasks. We introduce GroupBar, a task management system for dealing with the profusion of windows on the PC desktop. Designed to offer the same basic form and function as the existing Microsoft Windows™ TaskBar, GroupBar additionally allows users to group windows into higher-level tasks and enables task switching with a single mouse click. In order to gain experience with GroupBar usage and to develop reasonable task definitions we conducted a longitudinal field study. Based on the results of that field study, we conducted a comparative user study wherein we found that participants were able to multitask faster when using GroupBar than when using the existing Windows TaskBar.
Our studies have shown that as displays become larger, users leave more windows open for easy mul... more Our studies have shown that as displays become larger, users leave more windows open for easy multitasking. A larger number of windows, however, may increase the time that users spend arranging and switching between tasks. We present Scalable Fabric, a task management system designed to address problems with the proliferation of open windows on the PC desktop. Scalable Fabric couples window management with a flexible visual representation to provide a focus-plus-context solution to desktop complexity. Users interact with windows in a central focus region of the display in a normal manner, but when a user moves a window into the periphery, it shrinks in size, getting smaller as it nears the edge of the display. The window "minimize" action is redefined to return the window to its preferred location in the periphery, allowing windows to remain visible when not in use. Windows in the periphery may be grouped together into named tasks, and task switching is accomplished with a single mouse click. The spatial arrangement of tasks leverages human spatial memory to make task switching easier. We review the evolution of Scalable Fabric over three design iterations, including discussion of results from two user studies that were performed to compare the experience with Scalable Fabric to that of the Microsoft Windows XP TaskBar.
We describe a new information structure composed of multiple intersecting hierarchies, which we c... more We describe a new information structure composed of multiple intersecting hierarchies, which we call a Polyarchy.
The Task Gallery is a window manager that uses interactive 3D graphics to provide direct support ... more The Task Gallery is a window manager that uses interactive 3D graphics to provide direct support for task management and document comparison, lacking from many systems implementing the desktop metaphor. User tasks appear as artwork hung on the walls of a virtual art gallery, with the selected task on a stage. Multiple documents can be selected and displayed side-by-side using 3D space to provide uniform and intuitive scaling. The Task Gallery hosts any Windows application, using a novel redirection mechanism that routes input and output between the 3D environment and unmodified 2D Windows applications. User studies suggest that the Task Gallery helps with task management, is enjoyable to use, and that the 3D metaphor evokes spatial memory and cognition.
ZoneZoom is an input technique that lets users traverse large information spaces on smartphones. ... more ZoneZoom is an input technique that lets users traverse large information spaces on smartphones. Our technique ZoneZoom, segments a given view of an information space into nine sub-segments, each of which is mapped to a key on the number keypad of the smartphone. This segmentation can be hand-crafted by the information space author or dynamically created at run-time. ZoneZoom supports "spring-loaded" view shifting which allows users to easily "glance" at nearby areas and then quickly return to their current view. Our ZoneZoom technique lets users gain an overview and compare information from different parts of a dataset. SmartPhlow is an optimized application for browsing a map of local-area road traffic conditions.
As large displays become more affordable, researchers are investigating the effects on productivi... more As large displays become more affordable, researchers are investigating the effects on productivity, and techniques for making the large display user experience more effective. Recent work has demonstrated significant productivity benefits, but has also identified numerous usability issues that inhibit productivity. Studies show that larger displays enable users to create and manage many more windows, as well as to engage in more complex multitasking behavior. In this paper, we describe various usability issues, including losing track of the cursor, accessing windows and icons at a distance, dealing with bezels in multimonitor displays, window management, and task management. We also present several novel techniques that address these issues and make users more productive on large display systems.
We describe the design and functionality of the Scope, a glanceable notification summarizer. The ... more We describe the design and functionality of the Scope, a glanceable notification summarizer. The Scope is an information visualization designed to unify notifications and minimize distractions. It allows users to remain aware of notifications from multiple sources of information, including e-mail, instant messaging, information alerts, and appointments. The design employs a circular radar-like screen divided into sectors that group different kinds of notifications. The more urgent a notification is, the more centrally it is placed. Visual emphasis and annotation is used to reveal important properties of notifications. Several natural gestures allow users to zoom in on particular regions and to selectively drill down on items. We present key aspects of the Scope design, review the results of an initial user study, and describe the motivation and outcome of an iteration on the visual design. Figure 1 Scope (Figure 2 shows same in color).
Effective management of documents on computers has been a central user interface problem for many... more Effective management of documents on computers has been a central user interface problem for many years. One common approach involves using 2D spatial layouts of icons representing the documents, particularly for information workspace tasks. This approach takes advantage of human 2D spatial cognition. More recently, several 3D spatial layouts have engaged 3D spatial cognition capabilities. Some have attempted to use spatial memory in 3D virtual environments. However, there has been no proof to date that spatial memory works the same way in 3D virtual environments as it does in the real world. We describe a new technique for document management called the Data Mountain, which allows users to place documents at arbitrary positions on an inclined plane in a 3D desktop virtual environment using a simple 2D interaction technique. We discuss how the design evolved in response to user feedback. We also describe a user study that shows that the Data Mountain does take advantage of spatial memory. Our study shows that the Data Mountain has statistically reliable advantages over the Microsoft Internet Explorer Favorites mechanism for managing documents of interest in an information workspace.
We describe a new information structure composed of multiple intersecting hierarchies, which we c... more We describe a new information structure composed of multiple intersecting hierarchies, which we call Polyarchies. Visualizing polyarchies enables use of novel views for discovery of relationships which are very difficult using existing hierarchy visualization tools. This paper will describe the visualization design and system architecture challenges as well as our current solutions. A Mid-Tier Cache architecture is used as a "polyarchy server" which supports a novel web-based polyarchy visualization technique, called Visual Pivot. A series of five user studies guided iterative design of Visual Pivot.
Accessing and manipulating occluded content in layered 2D drawings can be difficult. This paper c... more Accessing and manipulating occluded content in layered 2D drawings can be difficult. This paper characterizes a design space of techniques that facilitate access to occluded content. In addition, we introduce two new tools, Tumbler and Splatter, which represent unexplored areas of the design space. Finally, we present results of a study that contrasts these two tools against the traditional scene index used in most drawing applications. Results show that Splatter is comparable to and can be better than the scene index. Our findings allow us to understand the inherent design tradeoffs, and to identify areas for further improvement.
D espite the increasing affordability and availability of large displays, most users continue to ... more D espite the increasing affordability and availability of large displays, most users continue to have display space that represents less than 10 percent of their physical workspace area. Similarly, many current interfaces assume that users have a relatively small display to access the much larger virtual world. Several factors indicate that this is now changing. The PC's increasing graphical-processing power is fueling a demand for larger and more capable display devices. Several operating systems have supported work with multiple displays for some time. This fact, coupled with graphic-card advancements over the past 10 years, has led to an increase in multiple monitor (multimon) use. Microsoft commissioned a Harris poll of 1,197 Windows OS users, and found that up to 20 percent of the information worker users ran multimons from a PC or laptop. Many other users are becoming aware that running multimons is an option.
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 2006
The dominant paradigm for searching and browsing large data stores is text-based: presenting a sc... more The dominant paradigm for searching and browsing large data stores is text-based: presenting a scrollable list of search results in response to textual search term input. While this works well for the Web, there is opportunity for improvement in the domain of personal information stores, which tend to have more heterogeneous data and richer metadata. In this paper, we introduce FacetMap, an interactive, query-driven visualization, generalizable to a wide range of metadata-rich data stores. FacetMap uses a visual metaphor for both input (selection of metadata facets as filters) and output. Results of a user study provide insight into tradeoffs between FacetMap's graphical approach and the traditional text-oriented approach.
Sometimes users fail to notice a change that just took place on their display. For example, the u... more Sometimes users fail to notice a change that just took place on their display. For example, the user may have accidentally deleted an icon or a remote collaborator may have changed settings in a control panel. Animated transitions can help, but they force users to wait for the animation to complete. This can be cumbersome, especially in situations where users did not need an explanation. We propose a different approach. Phosphor objects show the outcome of their transition instantly; at the same time they explain their change in retrospect. Manipulating a phosphor slider, for example, leaves an afterglow that illustrates how the knob moved. The parallelism of instant outcome and explanation supports both types of users. Users who already understood the transition can continue interacting without delay, while those who are inexperienced or may have been distracted can take time to view the effects at their own pace. We present a framework of transition designs for widgets, icons, and objects in drawing programs. We evaluate phosphor objects in two user studies and report significant performance benefits for phosphor objects.
As large displays become more affordable, researchers are investigating their effects on producti... more As large displays become more affordable, researchers are investigating their effects on productivity, and techniques for making the large display user experience more effective. Recent work has demonstrated significant productivity benefits, but has also identified numerous usability issues with current software design not scaling well. Studies show that larger displays enable users to create and manage many more windows, as well as to engage in more complex multitasking behavior. In this overview, various usability issues, including problems around accessing windows and icons at a distance, window management, and task management, will be discussedSeveral novel interaction techniques that address these issues and make users more productive across multiple sizes of displays will be explored.
Our studies have shown that as displays become larger, users leave more windows open for easy mul... more Our studies have shown that as displays become larger, users leave more windows open for easy multitasking. A larger number of windows, however, may increase the time that users spend arranging and switching between tasks. We introduce GroupBar, a task management system for dealing with the profusion of windows on the PC desktop. Designed to offer the same basic form and function as the existing Microsoft Windows™ TaskBar, GroupBar additionally allows users to group windows into higher-level tasks and enables task switching with a single mouse click. In order to gain experience with GroupBar usage and to develop reasonable task definitions we conducted a longitudinal field study. Based on the results of that field study, we conducted a comparative user study wherein we found that participants were able to multitask faster when using GroupBar than when using the existing Windows TaskBar.
Our studies have shown that as displays become larger, users leave more windows open for easy mul... more Our studies have shown that as displays become larger, users leave more windows open for easy multitasking. A larger number of windows, however, may increase the time that users spend arranging and switching between tasks. We present Scalable Fabric, a task management system designed to address problems with the proliferation of open windows on the PC desktop. Scalable Fabric couples window management with a flexible visual representation to provide a focus-plus-context solution to desktop complexity. Users interact with windows in a central focus region of the display in a normal manner, but when a user moves a window into the periphery, it shrinks in size, getting smaller as it nears the edge of the display. The window "minimize" action is redefined to return the window to its preferred location in the periphery, allowing windows to remain visible when not in use. Windows in the periphery may be grouped together into named tasks, and task switching is accomplished with a single mouse click. The spatial arrangement of tasks leverages human spatial memory to make task switching easier. We review the evolution of Scalable Fabric over three design iterations, including discussion of results from two user studies that were performed to compare the experience with Scalable Fabric to that of the Microsoft Windows XP TaskBar.
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Papers by Daniel Robbins