1.2.5. Precise and Fuzzy Navigation

According to (2005) a user can explore an application in two different ways:

1. Precise Navigation: one exactly knows what information is to be extracted out of an application
2. Fuzzy Navigation: one wants to explore the application without any specific target.

Precise Navigation

• Precise Navigation on the Internet
  Precise navigation tools let the user quickly go to the location he/she is looking for.
  An example: When you type in the exact URL of a web site in the address bar of a browser, you directly navigate to the desired site. That means you know your target and navigate directly to it.
  
  Precise Navigation in the Internet (Institute of Cartography)
  
  

• Precise Navigation in 2-D Maps
  Precise map navigation tools let the user quickly zoom to a map extent that he can specify through coordinates and scale, or addresses.
  The application Map24 is an example for precise navigation. You can type in your address or your start and destination address of an arbitrary route in an input bar and the application will show you the locations in a map as it is shown in the pictures below. Try it out on the Map24 web site.

Type in your address or route destinations (Map24)

Map shows result (Map24)

Fuzzy Navigation

• Fuzzy Navigation on the Internet
  In fuzzy navigation tasks the user often does not know exactly where he wants to go, but wants to explore the application visually.
  We use the Google search engine as an example. When you type in an arbitrary term such as "Navigation" you will get many listed results. You then can pick the one you want and go through them unhurriedly.
  
  Fuzzy Navigation in Google (Google)
  
  

• Fuzzy Map Navigation in 2-D Maps
  In fuzzy map navigation tasks the user often does not know exactly where he wants to go, but wants to explore the map visually.
  
  Explore the map