Exploring interactions with physically dynamic bar charts

Visualizations such as bar charts help users reason about data, but are mostly screen-based, rarely physical, and almost never physical and dynamic. This paper investigates the role of physically dynamic bar charts and evaluates new interactions for exploring and working with datasets rendered in dynamic physical form. To facilitate our exploration we constructed a 10x10 interactive bar chart and designed interactions that supported fundamental visualisation tasks, specifically; annotation, filtering, organization, and navigation. The interactions were evaluated in a user study with 17 participants. Our findings identify the preferred methods of working with the data for each task i.e. directly tapping rows to hide bars, highlight the strengths and limitations of working with physical data, and discuss the challenges of integrating the proposed interactions together into a larger data exploration system. In general, physical interactions were intuitive, informative, and enjoyable, paving the way for new explorations in physical data visualizations

Dynamic Composite Data Physicalization Using Wheeled Micro-Robots

This paper introduces dynamic composite physicalizations, a new class of physical visualizations that use collections of self-propelled objects to represent data. Dynamic composite physicalizations can be used both to give physical form to well-known interactive visualization techniques, and to explore new visualizations and interaction paradigms. We first propose a design space characterizing composite physicalizations based on previous work in the fields of Information Visualization and Human Computer Interaction. We illustrate dynamic composite physicalizations in two scenarios demonstrating potential benefits for collaboration and decision making, as well as new opportunities for physical interaction. We then describe our implementation using wheeled micro-robots capable of locating themselves and sensing user input, before discussing limitations and opportunities for future work

Levitating Particle Displays with Interactive Voxels

Levitating objects can be used as the primitives in a new type of display. We present levitating particle displays and show how research into object levitation is enabling a new way of presenting and interacting with information. We identify novel properties of levitating particle displays and give examples of the interaction techniques and applications they allow. We then discuss design challenges for these displays, potential solutions, and promising areas for future research

Investigating the use of a dynamic physical bar chart for data exploration and presentation

Physical data representations, or data physicalizations, are a promising new medium to represent and communicate data. Previous work mostly studied passive physicalizations which require humans to perform all interactions manually. Dynamic shape-changing displays address this limitation and facilitate data exploration tasks such as sorting, navigating in data sets which exceed the fixed size of a given physical display, or preparing “views” to communicate insights about data. However, it is currently unclear how people approach and interact with such data representations. We ran an exploratory study to investigate how nonexperts made use of a dynamic physical bar chart for an open-ended data exploration and presentation task. We asked 16 participants to explore a data set on European values and to prepare a short presentation of their insights using a physical display. We analyze: (1) users’ body movements to understand how they approach and react to the physicalization, (2) their hand-gestures to understand how they interact with physical data, (3) system interactions to understand which subsets of the data they explored and which features they used in the process, and (4) strategies used to explore the data and present observations. We discuss the implications of our findings for the use of dynamic data physicalizations and avenues for future wor

PolySurface:a design approach for rapid prototyping of shape-changing displays using semi-solid surfaces

We present a design approach for rapid fabrication of high fidelity interactive shape-changing displays using bespoke semi-solid surfaces. This is achieved by segmenting virtual representations of the given data and mapping it to a dynamic physical polygonal surface. First, we establish the design and fabrication approach for generating semi-solid reconfigurable surfaces. Secondly, we demonstrate the generalizability of this approach by presenting design sessions using datasets provided by experts from a diverse range of domains. Thirdly, we evaluate user engagement with the prototype hardware systems that are built. We learned that all participants, all of whom had no previous interaction with shape-changing displays, were able to successfully design interactive hardware systems that physically represent data specific to their work. Finally, we reflect on the content generated to understand if our approach is effective at representing intended output based on a set of user defined functionality requirements

PolySurface: a design approach for rapid prototyping of shape-changing displays using semi-solid surfaces

We present a design approach for rapid fabrication of high fidelity interactive shape-changing displays using bespoke semi-solid surfaces. This is achieved by segmenting virtual representations of the given data and mapping it to a dynamic physical polygonal surface. First, we establish the design and fabrication approach for generating semi-solid reconfigurable surfaces. Secondly, we demonstrate the generalizability of this approach by presenting design sessions using datasets provided by experts from a diverse range of domains. Thirdly, we evaluate user engagement with the prototype hardware systems that are built. We learned that all participants, all of whom had no previous interaction with shape-changing displays, were able to successfully design interactive hardware systems that physically represent data specific to their work. Finally, we reflect on the content generated to understand if our approach is effective at representing intended output based on a set of user defined functionality requirements

Negative Energy: Why Interdisciplinary Physics Requires Multiple Ontologies

Much recent work in physics education research has focused on ontological metaphors for energy, particularly the substance ontology and its pedagogical affordances. The concept of negative energy problematizes the substance ontology for energy, but in many instructional settings, the specific difficulties around negative energy are outweighed by the general advantages of the substance ontology. However, we claim that our interdisciplinary setting (a physics class that builds deep connections to biology and chemistry) leads to a different set of considerations and conclusions. In a course designed to draw interdisciplinary connections, the centrality of chemical bond energy in biology necessitates foregrounding negative energy from the beginning. We argue that the emphasis on negative energy requires a combination of substance and location ontologies. The location ontology enables energies both "above" and "below" zero. We present preliminary student data that illustrate difficulties in reasoning about negative energy, and the affordances of the location metaphor.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to PERC 2013 Proceeding

Exploring the potential of physical visualizations

The goal of an external representation of abstract data is to provide insights and convey information about the structure of the underlying data, therefore helping people execute tasks and solve problems more effectively. Apart from the popular and well-studied digital visualization of abstract data there are other scarcely studied perceptual channels to represent data such as taste, sound or haptic. My thesis focuses on the latter and explores in which ways human knowledge and ability to sense and interact with the physical non-digital world can be used to enhance the way in which people analyze and explore abstract data. Emerging technological progress in digital fabrication allow an easy, fast and inexpensive production of physical objects. Machines such as laser cutters and 3D printers enable an accurate fabrication of physical visualizations with different form factors as well as materials. This creates, for the first time, the opportunity to study the potential of physical visualizations in a broad range. The thesis starts with the description of six prototypes of physical visualizations from static examples to digitally augmented variations to interactive artifacts. Based on these explorations, three promising areas of potential for physical visualizations were identified and investigated in more detail: perception & memorability, communication & collaboration, and motivation & self-reflection. The results of two studies in the area of information recall showed that participants who used a physical bar chart retained more information compared to the digital counterpart. Particularly facts about maximum and minimum values were be remembered more efficiently, when they were perceived from a physical visualization. Two explorative studies dealt with the potential of physical visualizations regarding communication and collaboration. The observations revealed the importance on the design and aesthetic of physical visualizations and indicated a great potential for their utilization by audiences with less interest in technology. The results also exposed the current limitations of physical visualizations, especially in contrast to their well-researched digital counterparts. In the area of motivation we present the design and evaluation of the Activity Sculptures project. We conducted a field study, in which we investigated physical visualizations of personal running activity. It was discovered that these sculptures generated curiosity and experimentation regarding the personal running behavior as well as evoked social dynamics such as discussions and competition. Based on the findings of the aforementioned studies this thesis concludes with two theoretical contributions on the design and potential of physical visualizations. On the one hand, it proposes a conceptual framework for material representations of personal data by describing a production and consumption lens. The goal is to encourage artists and designers working in the field of personal informatics to harness the interactive capabilities afforded by digital fabrication and the potential of material representations. On the other hand we give a first classification and performance rating of physical variables including 14 dimensions grouped into four categories. This complements the undertaking of providing researchers and designers with guidance and inspiration to uncover alternative strategies for representing data physically and building effective physical visualizations.Um aus abstrakten Daten konkrete Aussagen, komplexe Zusammenhänge oder überraschende Einsichten gewinnen zu können, müssen diese oftmals in eine, für den Menschen, anschauliche Form gebracht werden. Eine weitverbreitete und gut erforschte Möglichkeiten ist die Darstellung von Daten in visueller Form. Weniger erforschte Varianten sind das Verkörpern von Daten durch Geräusche, Gerüche oder physisch ertastbare Objekte und Formen. Diese Arbeit konzentriert sich auf die letztgenannte Variante und untersucht wie die menschlichen Fähigkeiten mit der physischenWelt zu interagieren dafür genutzt werden können, das Analysieren und Explorieren von Daten zu unterstützen. Der technische Fortschritt in der digitalen Fertigung vereinfacht und beschleunigt die Produktion von physischen Objekten und reduziert dabei deren Kosten. Lasercutter und 3D Drucker ermöglichen beispielsweise eine maßgerechte Fertigung physischer Visualisierungen verschiedenster Ausprägungen hinsichtlich Größe und Material. Dadurch ergibt sich zum ersten Mal die Gelegenheit, das Potenzial von physischen Visualisierungen in größerem Umfang zu erforschen. Der erste Teil der Arbeit skizziert insgesamt sechs Prototypen physischer Visualisierungen, wobei sowohl statische Beispiele beschrieben werden, als auch Exemplare die durch digital Inhalte erweitert werden oder dynamisch auf Interaktionen reagieren können. Basierend auf den Untersuchungen dieser Prototypen wurden drei vielversprechende Bereiche für das Potenzial physischer Visualisierungen ermittelt und genauer untersucht: Wahrnehmung & Einprägsamkeit, Kommunikation & Zusammenarbeit sowie Motivation & Selbstreflexion. Die Ergebnisse zweier Studien zur Wahrnehmung und Einprägsamkeit von Informationen zeigten, dass sich Teilnehmer mit einem physischen Balkendiagramm an deutlich mehr Informationen erinnern konnten, als Teilnehmer, die eine digitale Visualisierung nutzten. Insbesondere Fakten über Maximal- und Minimalwerte konnten besser im Gedächtnis behalten werden, wenn diese mit Hilfe einer physischen Visualisierung wahrgenommen wurden. Zwei explorative Studien untersuchten das Potenzial von physischen Visualisierungen im Bereich der Kommunikation mit Informationen sowie der Zusammenarbeit. Die Ergebnisse legten einerseits offen wie wichtig ein ausgereiftes Design und die Ästhetik von physischen Visualisierungen ist, deuteten anderseits aber auch darauf hin, dass Menschen mit geringem Interesse an neuen Technologien eine interessante Zielgruppe darstellen. Die Studien offenbarten allerdings auch die derzeitigen Grenzen von physischen Visualisierungen, insbesondere im Vergleich zu ihren gut erforschten digitalen Pendants. Im Bereich der Motivation und Selbstreflexion präsentieren wir die Entwicklung und Auswertung des Projekts Activity Sculptures. In einer Feldstudie über drei Wochen erforschten wir physische Visualisierungen, die persönliche Laufdaten repräsentieren. Unsere Beobachtungen und die Aussagen der Teilnehmer ließen darauf schließen, dass die Skulpturen Neugierde weckten und zum Experimentieren mit dem eigenen Laufverhalten einluden. Zudem konnten soziale Dynamiken entdeckt werden, die beispielsweise durch Diskussion aber auch Wettbewerbsgedanken zum Ausdruck kamen. Basierend auf den gewonnen Erkenntnissen durch die erwähnten Studien schließt diese Arbeit mit zwei theoretischen Beiträgen, hinsichtlich des Designs und des Potenzials von physischen Visualisierungen, ab. Zuerst wird ein konzeptionelles Framework vorgestellt, welches die Möglichkeiten und den Nutzen physischer Visualisierungen von persönlichen Daten veranschaulicht. Für Designer und Künstler kann dies zudem als Inspirationsquelle dienen, wie das Potenzial neuer Technologien, wie der digitalen Fabrikation, zur Darstellung persönlicher Daten in physischer Form genutzt werden kann. Des Weiteren wird eine initiale Klassifizierung von physischen Variablen vorgeschlagen mit insgesamt 14 Dimensionen, welche in vier Kategorien gruppiert sind. Damit vervollständigen wir unser Ziel, Forschern und Designern Inspiration und Orientierung zu bieten, um neuartige und effektvolle physische Visualisierungen zu erschaffen

Digital Fabrication Approaches for the Design and Development of Shape-Changing Displays

Interactive shape-changing displays enable dynamic representations of data and information through physically reconfigurable geometry. The actuated physical deformations of these displays can be utilised in a wide range of new application areas, such as dynamic landscape and topographical modelling, architectural design, physical telepresence and object manipulation. Traditionally, shape-changing displays have a high development cost in mechanical complexity, technical skills and time/finances required for fabrication. There is still a limited number of robust shape-changing displays that go beyond one-off prototypes. Specifically, there is limited focus on low-cost/accessible design and development approaches involving digital fabrication (e.g. 3D printing). To address this challenge, this thesis presents accessible digital fabrication approaches that support the development of shape-changing displays with a range of application examples – such as physical terrain modelling and interior design artefacts. Both laser cutting and 3D printing methods have been explored to ensure generalisability and accessibility for a range of potential users. The first design-led content generation explorations show that novice users, from the general public, can successfully design and present their own application ideas using the physical animation features of the display. By engaging with domain experts in designing shape-changing content to represent data specific to their work domains the thesis was able to demonstrate the utility of shape-changing displays beyond novel systems and describe practical use-case scenarios and applications through rapid prototyping methods. This thesis then demonstrates new ways of designing and building shape-changing displays that goes beyond current implementation examples available (e.g. pin arrays and continuous surface shape-changing displays). To achieve this, the thesis demonstrates how laser cutting and 3D printing can be utilised to rapidly fabricate deformable surfaces for shape-changing displays with embedded electronics. This thesis is concluded with a discussion of research implications and future direction for this work

DataLev: Mid-air Data Physicalisation Using Acoustic Levitation

Data physicalisation is a technique that encodes data through the geometric and material properties of an artefact, allowing users to engage with data in a more immersive and multi-sensory way. However, current methods of data physicalisation are limited in terms of their reconfgurability and the types of materials that can be used. Acoustophoresis—a method of suspending and manipulating materials using sound waves—ofers a promising solution to these challenges. In this paper, we present DataLev, a design space and platform for creating reconfgurable, multimodal data physicalisations with enriched materiality using acoustophoresis. We demonstrate the capabilities of DataLev through eight examples and evaluate its performance in terms of reconfgurability and materiality. Our work ofers a new approach to data physicalisation, enabling designers to create more dynamic, engaging, and expressive artefacts