You say Potato, I say Po-Data:Physical Template Tools for Authoring Visualizations

Data visualization authoring tools for the general public remains an ongoing challenge. Inspired by block-printing, we explore how visualization stamps as a physical tool for authoring visualizations could leverage both visual freedom and ease of repetition. We conducted two workshops where participants authored visualizations on paper using hand-carved stamps made from potatoes and sponges. The low-fidelity medium freed participants to test new stamp patterns and accept mistakes. From the created visualizations, we observed several unique traits and uses of block-printing tools for authoring visualizations, including: modularity of patterns; annotation guides; creation of multiple patterns from one stamp; and various techniques to apply data onto paper. We discuss issues around expressivity and effectiveness of block-printing stamps in authoring visualizations, and identify implications for the design and assembly of primitives in potential visualization stamp kits, as well as applications for future use in non-digital environments

Bottom-up vs. top-down : trade-offs in efficiency, understanding, freedom and creativity with InfoVis tools

The emergence of tools that support fast-and-easy visualization creation by non-experts has made the benefits of InfoVis widely accessible. Key features of these tools include attribute-level operations, automated mappings, and visualization templates. However, these features shield people from lower-level visualization design steps, such as the specific mapping of data points to visuals. In contrast, recent research promotes constructive visualization where individual data units and visuals are directly manipulated. We present a qualitative study comparing people's visualization processes using two visualization tools: one promoting a top-down approach to visualization construction (Tableau Desktop) and one implementing a bottom-up constructive visualization approach (iVoLVER). Our results show how the two approaches influence: 1) the visualization process, 2) decisions on the visualization design, 3) the feeling of control and authorship, and 4) the willingness to explore alternative designs. We discuss the complex trade-offs between the two approaches and outline considerations for designing better visualization tools.Postprin

Designing digital constructive visualization tools

The emergence of tools that support fast and easy creation of visualizations has made the benefits of Information Visualization (InfoVis) more accessible. The predominant design for visualization authoring tools often includes features such as automated mappings and visualization templates, which make tools effective and easy-to-use. These features, however, still impose barriers to non-experts (i.e., people with no formal training on visualization concepts). The paradigm of Constructive Visualization (ConstructiveVis) has shown potential to overcome some of these barriers, but it has only been investigated through the use of physical tokens that people manipulate to create representations of data. This dissertation investigates how the principles of ConstructiveVis can be applied in the design and implementation of digital constructive visualization tools. This thesis presents the results of several observational studies that uncover how tools that promote a constructive approach to visualization compare to more conventional ones. It also sheds light on what kind of benefits and limitations digital ConstructiveVis brings into non-experts' visualization design process. The investigations here presented lay the foundations for the design of better visualization tools that not only allow people to create effective visualizations but also promote critical reflection on design principles

The Candy Workshop: Supporting Rich Sensory Modalities in Constructive Data Physicalization

Constructive data physicalization (i.e. the creation of visualizations by non-experts using physical elements) is a promising research area in a context of rapid democratization of data collection and visualization, driven notably by the quantified-self movement. Despite a prolific body of work developed to explore physicalization as a mean to communicate data to individuals, little is known about how people transform data into physical artefacts. Current research also falls short in studying constructive physicalizations using other sensory modalities than sight or touch. Building on the principles of data edibilization, we propose to use candies as a medium to study constructive data physicalization processes, due to their ability to leverage multiple sensory channels. We conducted a preliminary study (candy workshop) to gain insights into how people make use of various sensory modalities in the construction of data physicalizations. We hope to inspire new research using candies as accessible research material

Reconfiguration Strategies with Composite Data Physicalizations

Composite data physicalizations allow for the physical reconfiguration of data points, creating new opportunities for interaction and engagement. However, there is a lack of understanding of people's strategies and behaviors when directly manipulating physical data objects. In this paper, we systematically characterize different reconfiguration strategies using six exemplar physicalizations. We asked 20 participants to reorganize these exemplars with two levels of restriction: changing a single data object versus changing multiple data objects. Our findings show that there were two main reconfiguration strategies used: changes in proximity and changes in atomic orientation. We further characterize these using concrete examples of participant actions in relation to the structure of the physicalizations. We contribute an overview of reconfiguration strategies, which informs the design of future manually reconfigurable and dynamic composite physicalizations

How Instructional Data Physicalisation Fosters Reflection in Personal Informatics

The ever-increasing number of devices quantifying our lives offers a perspective of high awareness of one's wellbeing, yet it remains a challenge for personal informatics (PI) to effectively support data-based reflection. Effective reflection is recognised as a key factor for PI technologies to foster wellbeing. Here, we investigate whether building tangible representations of health data can offer engaging and reflective experiences. We conducted a between-subjects study where n = 60 participants explored their immediate blood pressure data in relation to medical norms. They either used a standard mobile app, built a data representation from LEGO® bricks based on instructions, or completed a free-form brick build. We found that building with instructions fostered more comparison and using bricks fostered focused attention. The free-form condition required extra time to complete, and lacked usability. Our work shows that designing instructional physicalisation experiences for PI is a means of improving engagement and understanding of personal data

"It felt like I was part of the data": Comparing Mouse, Touch, and Physical Interaction with Visualizations

With my two exploratory studies I contribute a deeper understanding of the different experiences people have when manipulating data representations using mouse, touch, and physical interaction. To uncover experiences rather than performance measures I employed two different methodologies in the context of “data connectedness.” My first study used Likert-based questionnaires to determine differences in how connected participants felt to the data they were interacting with. To gain a deeper understanding, my second study employed a word selection activity (using the Desirability Toolkit), which led to much richer data. I found that people associated words like “engaged,” “direct,” and “satisfying” with touch and physical interaction, but often used words like “awkward,” “dull,” and “distant” with the mouse. My findings help to tease apart the characteristics of experienced interaction modalities in relation to how people feel about their connection to the data. Furthermore, my work provides a deeper look into how to measure abstract concepts such as connectedness that are highly elusive but important to understanding why certain ways of interacting with data may be more attractive, more liked, or even more effective

Extending DoD modeling and simulation with Web 2.0, Ajax and X3D

DoD has much to gain from Web 2.0 and the Ajax paradigm in open source. The Java language has come a long way in providing real world case studies and scalable solutions for the enterprise that are currently in production on sites such as eBay.com (http://www.ebay.com) and MLB.com (http://www.mlb.com). The most popular Ajax application in production is Google Maps (http://maps.google.com), which serves as a good example of the power of the technology. Open Source technology has matured greatly in the past three years and is now mature enough for deployment within DoD systems. In the past, management within the DoD has been reluctant to consider Enterprise Level Open Source Technologies as a solution, fearing that they might receive little to no support. In fact, the Open Source Business Model is entirely based on first developing a broad user base then providing support as a service for their clients. DoD Modeling and Simulation can create dynamic and compelling content that is ready for the challenges of the 21st century and completely integrated with the Global Information Grid (GIG) concept. This paper presents a short history of Model View Controller (MVC) architectures and goes over various pros and cons of each framework (Struts, Spring, Java Server Faces), which is critical for the deployment of a modern Java web application. Ajax and various frameworks are then discussed (Dojo, Google Web Toolkit, ZK, and Echo2). The paper then touches on Ajax3D technologies and the use of Rez to generate 3D models of entire cities and goes on to discuss possible extended functionality of the Rez concept to create a terrain system like Google Earth in X3D-Earth.http://archive.org/details/extendingdodmode109453282US Navy (USN) author.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Linked Open Data - Creating Knowledge Out of Interlinked Data: Results of the LOD2 Project

Database Management; Artificial Intelligence (incl. Robotics); Information Systems and Communication Servic