Using the principles of interactive cartography to communicate the mechanisms of migraine pain

The program entitled 'Mapping Migraine Pain' was created based on the principles of interactive cartography to communicate the complexity of the mechanisms of migraine pain. An innovative zoom slider was developed to enhance spatial orientation and comprehension of multiple scales of information from the anatomical to the cellular and molecular levels. Think-aloud protocols were conducted with ten undergraduate first-year medical students to evaluate the significance and usability of the program. The zoom slider, based on interactive cartography, proved to be an effective and intuitive navigational element.