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Hi - Here are the reponses I received from the question I posted last week
asking for ideas for alternative tree UIs.

Thanks to all who reponded!

Kay Corry Aubrey

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Hi, I have found working with trees in a mindmap format to be helpful. On my (Windows XP) desktop I use Freemind http://freemind.sourceforge.net and recently started using comapping http://ww.comapping.com online. Being able to see labels located in close proximity to one another (a facet-area) works for me as a way to quickly scan elements of a collection and get a feel for relationships. Regards, Michael Everitt Informativity -----Original Message----- From: ACM SIGCHI WWW Human Factors (Open Discussion) [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kay Corry Aubrey Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 9:52 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Alternate navigation structures for a tree Hi - I am wondering if people can suggest alternative Uis to a tree structure as a primary navigation method. The product has rich and deep functionality. It uses an Explorer-style tree for product navigation, and this presents a number of obstacles for users. For one, they need to know the precise node to click to find their stuff, they can't see what is under the node and some of the information lies 4-5 levels down. Because everything is presented on the same plane so there is no indication on where to start. Using a tree in this context presents many other types of problems, though the tree's organization is very well thought out and seems appropriate to the domain. We are going to offer multiple ways of navigating the product, search, by task, etc. However, it would be cool to also translate the existing tree into other navigational formats that are less overwhelming, offers more guidance, and can show users the range of choices they have for their task. We will likely segment the taxonomy into facets. Can people point me to examples on the web that are successful in presenting a complex taxonomy in a very simple UI that might spark ideas? Please send your responses to me - I will collect and summarize. Thanks - Kay Kay Corry Aubrey Usability Resources Inc End user research and interaction design for software www.UsabilityResources.net 781-275-3020       --------------------------------------------------------------         Tip of the Day: Email mailto:[log in to unmask]                with any comments, questions or problems      CHI-WEB: www.sigchi.org/web POSTINGS: mailto:[log in to unmask]               MODERATORS: mailto:[log in to unmask]        SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES & FAQ: www.sigchi.org/web/faq.html     --------------------------------------------------------------     --------------------------------------------------------------         Tip of the Day: Email mailto:[log in to unmask]                with any comments, questions or problems      CHI-WEB: www.sigchi.org/web POSTINGS: mailto:[log in to unmask]               MODERATORS: mailto:[log in to unmask]        SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES & FAQ: www.sigchi.org/web/faq.html     --------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Kay, I'm dealing with the same problem, and I'd love to hear what responses you get. A big question is of course how much information is contained in each node, and how much of it you always want to display. One (space-consuming) visualization that I think you could use to traverse a tree of 4-5 levels is presented in a series of articles for the weblog "Boxes and Arrows": http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/the-challenge-of http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/introduction-to-the http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/building-block http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/connectors-for (more articles upcoming, I believe) These articles talk about creating a multi-level portal-style (or 'dashboard') GUI based on the idea of containers within containers. A container in this context is (in descending order of size): a Web site, a Web site section, a page, a large box on a page (such as a content area or a sidebar area), and a small box on a page (something the size of one weblog entry or news article, for example). Containers share common controls, such as 'print', 'search' or 'send by e-mail'. It occurred to me that you could use these various containers to represent the different levels of a hierarchical tree, offering a way of navigating through the hierarchy that is both familiar and natural to users. Also, typically, the deepest nodes in a tree contain the most information, which this model provides for. The problem is that this visualization can take up a lot of space, which may force you to place the contents of a node into a separate browser window, or otherwise force you to separate the navigation from the content. As I said, it really depends on the amount of information contained in each node. Hope this helps, Mathijs Panhuijsen -----Original Message----- From: ACM SIGCHI WWW Human Factors (Open Discussion) [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kay Corry Aubrey Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 18:52 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Alternate navigation structures for a tree Hi - I am wondering if people can suggest alternative Uis to a tree structure as a primary navigation method. The product has rich and deep functionality. It uses an Explorer-style tree for product navigation, and this presents a number of obstacles for users. For one, they need to know the precise node to click to find their stuff, they can't see what is under the node and some of the information lies 4-5 levels down. Because everything is presented on the same plane so there is no indication on where to start. Using a tree in this context presents many other types of problems, though the tree's organization is very well thought out and seems appropriate to the domain. We are going to offer multiple ways of navigating the product, search, by task, etc. However, it would be cool to also translate the existing tree into other navigational formats that are less overwhelming, offers more guidance, and can show users the range of choices they have for their task. We will likely segment the taxonomy into facets. Can people point me to examples on the web that are successful in presenting a complex taxonomy in a very simple UI that might spark ideas? Please send your responses to me - I will collect and summarize. Thanks - Kay Kay Corry Aubrey Usability Resources Inc End user research and interaction design for software www.UsabilityResources.net 781-275-3020       --------------------------------------------------------------         Tip of the Day: Email mailto:[log in to unmask]                with any comments, questions or problems      CHI-WEB: www.sigchi.org/web POSTINGS: mailto:[log in to unmask]               MODERATORS: mailto:[log in to unmask]        SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES & FAQ: www.sigchi.org/web/faq.html     -------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail is intended exclusively for the addressee(s),and may not be passed on to, or made available for use by any person other than the addressee(s).SDL Tridion rules out any and every liability resulting from any electronic transmission.     --------------------------------------------------------------         Tip of the Day: Email mailto:[log in to unmask]                with any comments, questions or problems      CHI-WEB: www.sigchi.org/web POSTINGS: mailto:[log in to unmask]               MODERATORS: mailto:[log in to unmask]        SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES & FAQ: www.sigchi.org/web/faq.html     --------------------------------------------------------------

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