Hierarchical Data Navigation via Drill-Down Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for navigating hierarchical data sets within limited display areas face challenges such as excessive horizontal scrolling, making it difficult for users to maintain track of their position and relationships within the hierarchy.
Innovation Solution
A user interface component that allows users to drill through levels of a hierarchy without losing track of the starting node, with customizable drilling behavior, including the ability to define levels to descend or ascend and specific entity types or instances to drill through, and provides simultaneous tabular and graphic visualization formats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the tree structure is expanded to show all hierarchical levels, then the complete hierarchy is visible, but the horizontal size exceeds the allotted display space requiring scroll bars
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the traditional horizontal tree expansion into a vertical dimension by implementing a drill-down mechanism that moves the selection point down hierarchical levels rather than expanding horizontally. This dimensional change allows the entire hierarchy to be navigated within the fixed display area without requiring horizontal scroll bars, resolving the contradiction between showing complete hierarchy and maintaining limited display space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested navigation approach where each hierarchical level is contained within the display area through the drill-down mechanism. The selected instance at each level is maintained as the reference point, with child instances nested in the visualization area below it, allowing deep hierarchical structures to be displayed without exceeding the allotted space.
2Ease of operation
If scroll bars are added to navigate beyond visible areas, then all tree branches become accessible, but the user's position in the hierarchy becomes difficult to ascertain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous feedback by always displaying and highlighting the selected instance in the entity tree alongside its corresponding visualization. This feedback mechanism provides the user with constant awareness of their current position in the hierarchy without requiring scroll bar manipulation, resolving the contradiction between navigation capability and position awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
The selected instance acts as an intermediary element that mediates between the tree structure and the visualization area. By maintaining this intermediary reference point in both views simultaneously, the system allows users to navigate deep into the hierarchy while continuously knowing their position through the highlighted selected instance.
3Measurement precision
If the drill-down functionality is made customizable with specific levels and entity types, then navigation precision is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic drill-down behavior where the drilling parameters (levels to descend, entity types to drill through) can be customized and adjusted based on user needs. This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt its navigation precision without requiring a completely different system architecture, managing complexity through flexible parameters rather than rigid structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes display of a hierarchy of indicators of entity instances, reception of a selection of one of the indicators, the selected indicator of a first entity instance, in response to the selection, display of a control in conjunction with the indicator, reception of a first manipulation of the displayed control, and display, in response to the first manipulation, of an indicator of a second entity instance and a first numeral indicating a distance of the second entity instance from the first entity instance in the hierarchy.