Footprints

Inspired by Hill and Hollans original work 7, we have been developing a theory of interaction history and building tools to apply this theory to navigation in a complex information space. We have built a series of tools - map, paths, annota- tions and signposts - based on a physical-world navigation metaphor. These tools have been in use for over a year. Our user study involved a controlled browse task and showed that users were able to get the same amount of work done with significantly less effort.