Usability of Multi-Scale Interfaces for 3D Workbench Displays

We consider that multi-scale visualization interfaces support users to view different levels of scales simultaneously and to understand large-scale, complex 3D information in 3D display environments. This article presents a user evaluation on three multi-scale interfaces on a 3D workbench display: focus context (f c), fixed f c, and overview detail (o d). The interfaces differ in terms of (1) window arrangement and (2) positioning of detailed information relative to the user. Our goal is to identify the effect of these interface differences in large scale information visualization on a 3D workbench. To address the usability of the interfaces for a wide range of applications, we designed two tasks that differ by the level of information integration and cognitive demand. The evaluation results suggest that focusbased interfaces (i.e., the f c and fixed f c interfaces) are useful for tasks that require tight coupling between information layers and the o d interface is useful for tasks pe...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: PRESENCE
• Authors: Ji-Young Oh, Hong Hua
• Keywords: Complex 3D Information, Information, Multi-scale Interfaces, PRESENCE 2008