A grammar for zooming interfaces: using interaction design strategies to improve user’s navigation and spatial awareness

As demand increases for systems that view and retrieve large amounts of data, designers and engineers are trying new techniques for data access. One approach that has gained momentum is the area of zooming mechanisms. Zooming interactions offer a variety of benefits. Zooming mechanisms on their own are not sufficient for creating meaningful, dense information interfaces. This paper adapts concepts from wayfinding research, cognitive psychology, and interaction design to improve navigational cues with information displays of zooming interfaces.