Focus-plus-Context

The basic idea with focus–plus–context–visualizations is to enable viewers to see the object of primary interest presented in full detail while at the same time getting a overview–impression of all the sorrounding information — or context — available.

Focus+Context start from three premises: First, the user needs both overview (context) and detail information (focus) simultaneously. Second, information needed in the overview may be different from that needed in detail. Third, these two types of information can be combined within a single (dynamic) display, much as in human vision.

[Card et al, 1999]

Focus–plus–context–systems therefore allow to have the information of interest in the foreground and all the remaining information in the background simultaneously visible — Seeing the trees without missing the forest.

A principle of Information Visualization – display the most important data at the focal point at full size and detail, and display the area around the focal point (the context) to help make sense of how the important information relates to the entire data structure. Regions far from the focal point may be displayed smaller (as in Fisheye Views) or selectively.

[Usability First, 2003]

Synonyms

• Focus+Context

Related Terms

• Overview+Detail

References

• [Dürsteler, 2002] Juan C. Dürsteler, Focus+Context, 2002.
• [Card et al, 1999] Card, S.K., Mackinlay, J.D., and Shneiderman, B. (Eds.) Readings in Information Visualization: Using Vision to Think, pp. 1-34, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Francisco, Califomia, 1999.
• [Usability First, 2003] Usability First, Usability Glossary. Retrieved at: 2003. http://www.usabilityfirst.com/glossary/main.cgi?function=display_term&term_id=361