Abstract: A system and method for facilitating interacting with data and/or functionality via a visualization. An example method includes determining number of hierarchical levels to display in an orbit visualization; displaying the number of hierarchical levels via one or more nodes and one or more orbit paths, wherein each child node of a parent node of the one or more nodes is confined to one or more orbit paths that at least partially circumscribe the parent node; providing a first user option to navigate downward or upward in the hierarchy, at least in part via user selection of a node of the orbit visualization; and selectively updating the orbit visualization in response to user selection of the first user option so that a resulting updated visualization illustrates a navigated-to location, wherein the updated visualization illustrates the number of hierarchical levels.

Abstract: A system and method for facilitating preservation of context information during navigation of a visualization. An example method includes representing hierarchical data via an orbit visualization; providing a first user option to navigate to a child node selected from among the one or more child nodes of the orbit visualization; and updating the orbit visualization in response to user selection of the first user option, resulting in an updated orbit visualization, wherein the updated orbit visualization includes a parent node positioned at a periphery of the visualization, and wherein the selected child node is positioned as a new central node of the updated orbit visualization. A carousel control may be displayed concurrently with the orbit visualization, wherein the carousel control includes one or more user options to navigate to a previously navigated-to node of the orbit visualization.

Abstract: A system for traversing between nodes within a user interface receives a directional command from a user. The directional command is a command to move a focus away from a current node. The system also determines a next node to move the focus onto. The determining the next node is based on the relative positioning between the current node and the other nodes. The determining the next node is based on previous movements of the focus that were performed prior to moving the focus onto the current node. The system also performs movement of the focus from the current node onto the next node.