A conversational landscape is only as powerful as your ability to move through it. The map is not enough—you need intuitive controls, clear feedback, and stable orientation. Interaction design turns the landscape from a visualization into a working environment.
Navigation Modes
A robust interface provides multiple navigation modes:
- Overview mode: A zoomed-out map that shows high-level clusters and landmarks.
- Focus mode: A zoomed-in view of a cluster, revealing messages and connections.
- Detail mode: A node-level view that shows full text and metadata.
Smooth zooming is essential. It should feel like flying through terrain, not switching screens.
Selection and Context
Selecting a region should update conversational context. If you circle a cluster, the system pulls relevant nodes into the current context window. This allows you to guide the AI’s focus by spatial selection rather than by retyping.
You can also select paths to define narrative flow. A path across clusters becomes a thematic route, guiding the conversation.
Gesture and Gaze
Spatial interaction benefits from natural input methods:
- Drag and pan to move across the map
- Pinch and zoom to change scale
- Gaze selection for hands-free interaction in spatial computing
- Voice commands to filter or highlight regions
These controls should map to intuitive actions. You should feel like you are moving through space, not clicking menus.
Anchors and Landmarks
Maps need orientation. Landmarks anchor your mental model. These can be frequent topics, high-impact messages, or explicit user markers. You can pin nodes, create custom labels, and leave notes to guide future navigation.
Landmarks should remain stable. Even if clusters shift slightly, landmarks should stay in their region to preserve your spatial memory.
Branching and Reflection
Conversations rarely stay linear. A landscape supports branching without losing the main path. You can create side branches for reflections or tangents, then collapse them when you return to the main route.
This allows deep exploration without clutter. Branches become optional trails, not distractions.
Filtering and Lenses
A single map can support multiple views. You can apply lenses to highlight:
- sentiment
- topic category
- relevance
- recency
- speaker identity
Each lens re-colors the map without changing layout. This lets you interpret the same structure in different ways.
Summaries and Glanceable Cues
Spatial maps can be dense. You need quick cues for comprehension:
- Cluster summaries on hover
- Highlights for key nodes
- Visual indicators for unresolved questions
- Icons for decisions or action points
These allow you to scan quickly without reading everything.
User Control and Editing
You should be able to reshape the map:
- Merge clusters you see as related
- Split clusters that feel too broad
- Move misclassified nodes
- Hide irrelevant regions
- Mark paths for future return
This creates a feedback loop where the map learns from your adjustments.
Onboarding and Complexity
A major design challenge is avoiding overwhelm. Start with a simple tree or a small cluster, and reveal more complexity as familiarity grows. Let the map remain optional at first, then gradually invite deeper interaction.
The goal is to match complexity with skill, not to expose everything at once.
The Result
When interaction is well designed, you feel in control. You can steer conversation by spatial intent. You can explore without getting lost. You can collapse complexity into legible paths. The map becomes a dialogue partner, not just a display.