Posted by Yogesh Malhotra on June 29, 1997 at 14:07:43:

Some software firms are looking beyond the popular list and menu interfaces of Windows interface to provide more visual and graphical representations, with navigation techniques in an attempt to alleviate 'information overload.'

A recent Wall Street Jou rnal (Friday, June 27, p. B4) story profiled some of these attempts that provide the search and navigation capabilities in the form such as:

- wheel structure in which the hub leads to various topics by means of spokes;

- fishbone diagrams where one t opic 'diverges' into various subtopics; and

- Russian dolls with boxes that provide dynamic maps of underlying topics in the form of enclosed boxes.

Companies such as Encyclopedia Britannica are working on developing new on-line services in which user s can navigate information by flying through a three-dimensional space.

The take of one of the companies working on developing such technologies is that "Visual representation can show you relationships that can guide you in ways that can't be done in a list-oriented view."

Examples of web sites that include such visual representations include the following.

http://www.reel.com

reel.com is a web site that sells and rents videos via the web.

Their interface enti tled Cinemap asks the visitors 'Why Surf When You Can Fly' and offers one the beta interface of java-based PerspectaView's 3D visualization technology. Screen shots of this technology in action are available at:

http://www.perspecta.com/products/ScreenShots.html

One may also alternatively download and install PerspectaView interface for getting a more real look and feel from:

http: //www.perspecta.com/download/index.html

Another project using the same technology is:

http://www.allthenews.com/

The two sites take the advantage of organizing various objects by t opic and by making it easy to see their correlation to other objects.

A similar technological thrust for creating knowledge out of information is emphasized by Inxight, in which Xerox has majority share, has developed various views for simplifying comp lex problems associated with information retrieval, analysis and visualization. Their site is at:

http://www.inxight.com/

A variation, based on semiotics (pertaining to signs or symbols), is being developed by Sem io Corporation, whose web site is at:

http://www.semio.com/

They contrast the more known methods of Exhaustive and Solution Searching with what they call 'Discovery search' (tm).

HOWEVER, the million dollar (pun intended) question is if these [or other similar technologies] will really result in the kind of breakthro ughs that are accepted by mainstream net users.

Some doubts are cast by observations listed in the WSJ article. For instance, Yahoo! allows users to opt for a visual interface, but has found only very marginal interest: "The three or four people who use it love it... There's no sign that's what the masses are looking for." User acceptance experts would argue that the very unfamiliarity of such technologies to the mainstream users may pose hinderance in its acceptance.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? To what extent would these new 'technology-oriented' thrusts be successful in reducing 'information overload' and in creating 'knowledge from information' given the primary role played by the human mind in this process - as suggested by some thinkers.

• WWW Virtual Library on Knowledge Management

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• Reducing Info. Overload? - I don't think so...` Boris 05:09:40 7/08/97 (1)

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