Sounds interesting, I use to use a tool that showed a drives or folders content by file size. Larger files being larger boxes.
It definitely seems useful to have a view where folders are simply boxes with ---names--- in their top border. A folder could also be a simple outline with its name in front of the file names.
There is no software, I just make a drawing to see what I'm thinking. Ideas fail surprisingly often in the process. For example, here the boxes somewhat conflict with lining up the text and the line spacing. Some background color (rather than outlines) could better visualize the nesting and use less space. I think a folder that contains only one file should look almost exactly like the file was in the parent folder.
If the folder name is long it should probably fail back on the normal tree view rather than putting it in front of the files in the box. But then you get a mix of solutions which is undesirable.
I'm afraid people are to used to the traditional tree view. It is a surprisingly good solution now that I've bothered to think about it.
Folders should probably just have a value in the size column and the screens are large enough to have a column for the number of files. (the pilot does F:21 S:123) Empty folder and file font colors can be slightly translucent.
It definitely seems useful to have a view where folders are simply boxes with ---names--- in their top border. A folder could also be a simple outline with its name in front of the file names.
Something like this
https://img.go-here.nl/folder-view.png