Rapid-fire image previews for information navigation
Kent B. Wittenburg, Wissam Ali-Ahmad, Daniel LaLiberte, Tom Lanning · 1998
In this paper we consider the role of rapid-fire presentation of images in the service of navigation in information spaces. We presume a model of information navigation in which the user performs a cycle of (pre)viewing, selecting, and moving. Our hypothesis is that images presented to the user in rapid succession can significantly enhance the previewing step, thus optimizing the selection step and improving navigability. We discuss two prototypes for navigation tools in Web information spaces in which images are used as the primary means for presenting meta-information about "upcoming " Web pages. The presentation is modeled as a flow of information streaming to the user, and orientation is visualized through positions in ordered sequences. KEYWORDS: Information navigation, visualization, images, previewing INTRODUCTION George Furnas [4] has developed a theory of navigation in information spaces that serves as a useful springboard for positioning research on this sub...