Patent ID: 8572499

Claim:
A computer-executed method comprising: displaying, within a graphical user interface of a computing device, a plurality of message representations; wherein the plurality of message representations correspond to a plurality of messages that belong to a hierarchy of messages; wherein the plurality of messages includes messages from two or more different depths in the hierarchy of messages; wherein, within the graphical user interface, at least the left borders of the plurality of message representations are aligned along a horizontal axis; within each of the plurality of message representations, positioning message text at a position along the horizontal axis that is not based on the depth of the corresponding message within the hierarchy of messages; and concurrently displaying a corresponding visual depth indicator, for each message representation of the plurality of message representations, along the horizontal axis at a depth-indicating position that is dictated by the depth of the corresponding message within the hierarchy; wherein the visual depth indicator is not part of message text; wherein the steps of displaying, positioning the message text, and displaying a corresponding visual depth indicator are performed by the computing device.