When an Intermediate View Matters a 2D-Browser Experiment

Abstract

The browsing of two dimensional images can be found in a large number of applications. When the image to be viewed is much larger than the screen available, a two dimensional browser has to be provided to allow users to access all parts of the image. We show the diversity of tasks and systems available and the need for 2D browser design guidelines. In the context of a microscope image browser, we investigate one common technique consisting of a global view of the whole image, coupled to a detailed, magnified view of part of the image. In particular we look at the benefits of providing an intermediate view when the detail-to-overview ratio is high. An experiment showed that users performance significantly degrades when no intermediate view is provided for a detail-to-overview ratio over 20:1. Our experience is also a good example of a real world application for which added features and added hardware need to be justified. (Also cross-referenced as CAR-TR-645) (Also cross-referenced as ISR-TR-92-119)