Nowadays, I have an impression that many web applications have new types of user interface. For example, GAPMINDER is one of them. This shows a chart of varied statistics.

“How do you display it very plainly?” This question has been more popular now. What types of new web application interface are there? In this article I would like to report the survey.

2D (two dimensions)

There seem to be two fundamental interface types. One is a 2D and the other is 3D. The problem of 2D approach might be how we show varied data in a flat display,  that is, a web browser.

Applications That Uses Massive Amaounts of Data

Wolfram Alpha and Google Squared will become ubiquitous. The former is an application which shows various statistical data with some comprehensible charts and graphs. The amount of data appears to be over 10TB. It is also well known as a product produced by Wolfram who made Mathematica. In contrast, Google Squared uses grid type interface like a spreadsheet. By this layout we can compare the data among some results, for example, digital camera’s specs. It seems to be an good way of using Goolge’s vast whole data on the web. It may be that Google Squared terrorizes vertical-search companies as Google Analytics cleaned out access-log companies [Conclusion]
-> Search Engines
These types of applications are likely to be search engines because they treat a large amount of information. So the interface will calm down into graph charts like Google’s statistics graph. Instead there might be room for improvement in user interface such as how to put a query or a way of search.

Applications That Visualize Correlation Among Data Items

Many search engine applications aren’t attempting data visualization method, just a table or a list of charts. The graph-structure is used generally to visualize the correlation among data items . The most famous application might be mixigraph, which shows the correlations among mixi users. In real world we are familier with the type of the graph which has some nodes and the connections between two nodes. In the web there is a large correlation analysis market.

[Conclusion]
->Recommendation Engine.
Major methods used by many reccomendation engines is to recommend the related items when you look a item (ex. book, game, music video and so on). Deqwas produced by Scigineer recommends related items which suit your taste, by finding your community.

After all mixigraph is perhaps one of recommendation engines because we usually use it to find common friends and friends who is near us. For this reason many recommendation engines adopt such graph-like interface.

Supporting Graphical Interface of Statistics Data.

Google Visualization API is an useful Web API when we show some data on the web. Simply if we post data to the server and we can get some graph images. In terms of applications which help us graph data, I would say that web-site access analysis softwares such as Google Analytics and Nakanohito belong to this category.

[Conclusion]
-> API and ASP/SaaS
We will continue to ask for comprehensive visual data and a simple way of showing them. API and ASP/SaaS are probably most suitable ways of realizing that.

Organization of Our Brain

These are applications to organize our thinking such as mind map tools. Though there are more than 20 varieties of applications as I know, they have tree structure in common. Above all I like Frieve Editor. With Frieve Editor I can build a graph structure. It is very useful when I make a note.

[Conclusion]
->Cognitive Science
This area also includes interactive presentation makers (e.g prezi), or dataflow makers (e.g. Office Visio). It is because they have been aiming one goal, efficient use of brain. So these brain supporting tools will be related to Cognitive Science.

３D (three dimentions)

There is other direction of UI distinctively different from graphical directions: 3D. It lets people convert the mind from “write down images on the paper” into “move in the space” and many interactive applications have been launched. iFree3D is an application for browsing web in a cube world. It leverages 3D to work out intuitive control of web pages, images and so on. FoxTab, Firefox addon, also shows web pages in 3D way.

[Conclusion]
->Web Browser
These 3D applications are web browsers or web browser plugins in common. It may be natural approach that a web browser helps us to move like in the real world. Paradigm shift will occur in the power relationships of web browsers in the near future.

Consideration

In this manner there are a lot of cross-sectoral approaches and applications which have unique interfaces. I think these cover all post-web2.0 trends. Probably this means that new innovative interfaces are already becoming essential for new innovative applications.

[Reference]
The following blog divides many data visualization approaches into  7 ways.

≫ Data Visualization: Modern Approaches | Graphics | Smashing Magazine

• Mindmaps
• Displaying News
• Displaying Data
• Displaying connections
• Displaying Web-sites
• Articles & Resources
• Tools and Services