Zoomable User Interfaces (Jazz, Piccolo)

Last revision: 01/15/2008, G. Waloszek

Figure: PhotoMesa from Windsor Interfaces is an example of an application using Zoomable User Interfaces (based on Jazz)

Purpose

From Windsor Interfaces Website: Zoomable user interfaces (ZUI) offer an intuitive way of managing more information than fits on the screen. You zoom out for context, and zoom in for more detail. ZUIs enable you to work with more information at a time, and you spend less time navigating to find what you want.

In the past, Zoomable User Interfaces were based on a Java-based development platform named Jazz. Jazz has recently been replaced by Piccolo (a Java toolkit that supports the development of 2D structured graphics programs in general, and Zoomable User Interfaces (ZUIs) in particular).

Applications

Display of large data sets (image browser, tree browser)

Authors, Date

Benjamin B. Bederson, James D. Hollan, Jesse Grosjean (Piccolo implementer) (HCIL, University of Maryland); 1995

Links, Papers

• HCIL (University of Maryland): www.cs.umd.edu/projects/hcil/
• Windsor Interfaces (B. Bederson): www.windsorinterfaces.com/index.shtml
• Photomesa (image browser): www.windsorinterfaces.com/photomesa.shtml
• Jazz/Piccolo homepage: www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/jazz/
• Benjamin B. Bederson and James D. Hollan, Pad++: A Zooming Graphical Interface for Exploring Alternate Interface Physics, in Proceedings of ACM User Interface and Software Technology Conference (UIST `94).
• Benjamin B. Bederson and James D. Hollan (1995). Pad++: A Zoomable Graphical Interface System. Proc. ACM CHI '95 Conference. (www.acm.org/sigchi/chi95/Electronic/documnts/demos/pad_bdy.htm, http://www.acm.org/sigchi/chi95/proceedings/shortppr/bbb_bdy.htm)
• Jonathan Meyer and Ken Perlin (1995). Two Document Visualization Techniques for Zoomable Interfaces. Unpublished (www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/pad++/papers/unpub-95-docvis/)