System and method for view navigation guidance system for a physical display that is smaller than the virtual display it needs to display. Guidance map placed in a heads-up display layer within a small user defined area of the physical display provides an instantaneous indication of the current position of the screen view with minimal obstruction of the contents information. Color selection for the guidance map is automatically determined based on the background color in the main display layer beneath the map. The guidance map area on a touch screen display may include tapping controls, and the position of the guidance map can be dynamically altered by the user during the view navigation to control the navigation parameters.