Framy - Visualizing spatial query results on mobile interfaces

Abstract

The widespread use of mobile devices in basic map navigation tasks has recently attracted researchers on usability problems arising from the reduced visualization area and the limited interaction modes allowed by small keypads. In this paper we analyse the most common approaches suggested in the literature and propose a new visualization technique, named FRAMY, which is based on one of them and exploits a novel interaction metaphor for picture frames to provide hints about off-screen objects. It was conceived to cover a wider range of spatial data visualization tasks, which may simultameously involve different geographic layers. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.