Wired Fisheye Lens: A Motion-Based Improved Fisheye Interface for Mobile Web Map Services

Abstract

We propose a mobile Web map interface that is based on a metaphor of the Wired Fisheye Lens. The interface was developed by using improved fisheye views (Focus+Glue+Context map). When a user wants to obtain information on both the details of the target area and the geographical relation between the present location and the target area by using existing Web map services, he/she has to scroll maps and change the scale of the maps many times. These operations result in a large cognitive cost for users. The Wired Fisheye Lens enables users to easily search an area surrounding the present location since it has the following features: 1) The Focus+Glue+Context map enables users to view both a large-scale map (Focus) and a small-scale map (Context) without changing the scales of the maps; 2) The posture sensor enables users to search for details of the surrounding area by tilting, shaking, and looking through the fisheye lens; 3) The Focus is moved by considering it to be a fisheye lens connected with the present location by a rubber wire on the map. Even if the lens approaches the edge of the screen, it can be kept within the screen by scaling down the Context as if the lens were pulled in by its rubber wire and as if the map were a rubber sheet and pulled in by the lens. As a result, the user can easily navigate through the area surrounding the present location while keeping the Focus within the map. These features enable users to find the target quickly. We developed the Web-based mobile map system that uses commercial maps that are utilized by Yahoo Japan. We confirmed the advantages of the proposed system by evaluation experiments. The new system will be able to contribute to the novel mobile Web map services with fisheye views for mobile terminals such as cellular phones.