Navigating product catalogs using 2+1D fisheye browser

This paper introduces a novel user interface of online product catalogs. Our research focused on its capability for helping shoppers to navigate and analyze online product information. Specifically, we discuss the application of a new multi-level focus+context visualization technique, called 2+1D Fisheye Browser, in the design of interactive visual interface which can be used to assist buyers in navigating online product catalogs which contain large number of products. The 2+1D Fisheye Browser uses an ordinary 2D Hyperbolic Tree Browser to display the major structure of hierarchies while a 1D distortion-based Fisheye Menu is also used to assist the display of those sub-hierarchies containing large number of leaf nodes. We implement this technique as a visual product catalog of an online Grocery Shop. This Grocery Shop system simulates the experience of online shopping. It is applicable to any e-commerce shopping application