Degree Navigator TM : The Journey of a Visualization Software

In this paper, we follow the evolution of a tool that has its roots in academic research on visualization and graph drawing. From its ancestor Order Explorer (1994) and initial version of 1995, to its latest version of 2003, we analyze the significant steps of a software that has gone from being a relatively simple, very specialized research tool to being a successful, widely deployed, complex commercial software used for academic degree audits. As the tool has expanded over the years, the initial scope has been completely outgrown and finding back the original idea in the current version is not completely obvious. Never the less, Degree NavigatorTM is a wonderful example of a research project that has gone a long way.