Cone Tree

A 3D or 2D information visualization technique for displaying hierarchical data structures, where child nodes are arranged in a cone or fan shape around their parent node. When a user selects a child, the parent shrinks into the background and the selected item's children expand outward, creating an animated transition that helps users maintain spatial orientation within the hierarchy. In assistive technology applications, 2D adaptations of cone trees have been used in AAC devices to present hierarchical phrase categories in a visually intuitive way that requires fewer on-screen elements at any given time, making the interface more suitable for users with limited motor control who interact through switch scanning.