Navigation among model sketches on large interactive displays

Modeling, whether for conceptualization or specification, is a key activity in software engineering and many other design and engineering disciplines. Especially in early project phases, most users prefer informal models sketched on whiteboards over heavyweight CASE tools that enforce a formal notation. But since physical whiteboards can offer only limited flexibility and usability when dealing with large model sets, large interactive displays are increasingly used to efficiently support the modeling process. In this paper, we present an approach that focuses on the navigation among model sketches that are created on such displays. We strive to hide the separation of model files and the underlying file system from the users whenever possible. Instead of laboriously navigating across file names and directories, the users shall be enabled to navigate among model sketches and related artifacts via intuitive gestures, using the semantics and relationships of the elements themselves. Additionally, our approach explicitly visualizes otherwise hidden relationships between the created artifacts and allows easy and direct access to their content.