USE OF VISUALIZATION IN DIGITAL FINANCIAL REPORTING: THE EFFECT OF SPARKLINE

Information visualization (InfoViz) is an essential component of decision support systems (DSS). Sparklines is a visualization tool. This study examines if Sparklines in digital financial reports aids novice investors and if so under what circumstances? Does it enhances decision-making performance and facilitates effective decision-making experience? Additionally, does it lowers decision making effort; reduces dilution effect from non-relevant data in financial reports and mitigates recency bias in using digital financial reports? The hypothesis is guided by the theory of Proximity Compatibility Principle and the Theory of Cognitive Fit. The research methodology for this study is a repeated measure, controlled laboratory based experiment. A pilot test was conducted in with a sample of forty undergraduate students from Gatton College of Business and Economics. The sample size for this study was 275 subjects. The result revealed that there was significant effect of sparklines on decision making performance and it provides an incremental value over a tabular format. Sparklines makes an important contribution towards mitigating recency bias. The results also suggested that the irrelevant information cue in the shareholder’s report were not able to weaken the impact of relevant information in the audited financial data reported using sparklines. Sparklines increased the attention of the readers to the tables. Subjects performed the integrative tasks and spatial better when using Sparklines. For tasks such as symbolic tasks, Sparkline does not necessarily improve decision performance. It was also found out that decision makers experience greater satisfaction when using sparklines. The overall cognitive load experienced by subjects was lower using sparklines when task demands are high (such as in a bankruptcy prediction task). Interestingly, the results indicate that there is no significant effect of sparkline on decision confidence and time. In conclusion, recall of facts and pattern among subjects was found superior with use of sparkline. This study provides an empirical and justifiable basis for policy makers to make explicit recommendations about use of novel graphics such as sparkline in digital financial reports. Limitations of this study are noted

Kesan interaksi atribut persembahan multimedia, gaya kognitif, peringkat pengajian dan bidang pengajian ke atas daya ingatan visual pelajar IPT

Various multimedia presentation attributes contribute different positive effect on the visual recall memory due to factors such as different cognitive style, field of study and level of study. The positive effects could not be optimised if the most effective combination of the factors is not identified. This study aimed to identify the main effects and interaction effects of multimedia presentation format or attribute (line drawing pictures, black and white pictures, colour pictures, animation, animationaudio), cognitive styles (field dependence (FD), field independence (FI), level of study (year one, year three) and field of study (art-based, non-art-based) on the visual recall among students in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Malaysia. The sample consisted of 400 year one and three university students. This experimental study used 5 x 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design. The findings showed that the main effects of format of multimedia presentation, cognitive style, level of education and field of study on visual recall were significant. The results showed that students who viewed animated presentation obtained better mean scores on visual recall than students who viewed other presentation formats. Students with FI cognitive styles were found to recall better than the FD students, while students from non-art-based field obtained better scores than students from the art-based field. Year one students were found to have better visual recall than year three students. The interaction effect of format of multimedia presentation and level of education on visual recall was significant. The three-way interaction effect between cognitive styles, level of education and field of study as well as the interaction effect between format of multimedia presentation, level of education and field of study on visual recall were significant. Findings of the study support the effectiveness of multimedia presentation in enhancing the visual recall memory. However, the most effective attribute should be aligned with the students’ cognitive style, field of study and level of study so as to achieve the intended learning outcomes

Achieving Evaluation Influence Through Elaboration Likelihood Model-informed Evaluation Product Designs

The ultimate purpose of evaluation is social betterment, which is achieved through evaluation influence. Progress has been made in defining the mechanisms of evaluation influence (Mark & Henry, 2004); however, little research has explored how the design of evaluation products trigger these mechanisms. Sister fields such as persuasion psychology can provide guidance to fill this gap. The Elaboration Likelihood Model, a dual-processing model of persuasion, provides insights into how persuasive information is processed and how this processing impacts attitude formation and behavioral intention (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986). By translating the principles of the Elaboration Likelihood Model, this research explores how various data presentation conventions -- minimalist, embellished, and interactive -- impact evaluation influence. In the first phase of this research, minimalist and embellished data visualization conventions did not result in differences in participant experience of the visualization nor different interpretation or attitudinal outcomes; however, motivation to elaborate significantly impacted both participant experiences and outcomes. Additionally, engagement with the data visualization played a role in how participants processed the evaluation findings, with highly engaged individuals basing their evaluand-specific attitudes on the strength of the evaluation findings. The second phase of this research demonstrated no significant differences in attitude strength and donation behaviors between minimalist and embellished data visualization. Instead, donation behaviors were driven by attitudes formed after reading the evaluation findings and motivation to elaborate. The final experiment found that interactive data presentations promoted elaboration and the formation of attitudes based on the strength of the evaluation findings. Additionally, significant differences in attitude persistence and behavioral intent were found based on the strength of evaluation findings; behavioral intent was additionally impacted by motivation to elaborate and engagement with the data presentation. Finally, donation behaviors were driven by motivation to elaborate, engagement with the data presentation, and evaluand-specific attitudes formed after reading the evaluation findings. The results of this research demonstrate that the design of evaluation products and audience characteristics such as motivation to elaborate can be factors impacting evaluation influence. Based on these findings, evaluation practitioners can promote evaluation influence by seeking out opportunities to design products that increase audience involvement to support elaboration processes. The current research also identifies both risks to and opportunities for increased evaluation influence based on the audiences\u27 level of motivation to elaborate, which provide guidance to evaluation practitioners seeking to maximize their evaluation\u27s impact. More broadly, this research advances new directions for research on evaluation influence by providing empirical evidence for influence pathways, for data visualization research by demonstrating the importance of motivation to elaborate to visualization experience and outcomes, and for research on the application of Elaboration Likelihood Model principles within the context of evaluation

Beyond factual to formulated silhouettes

When sketching terrain, a view-dependent framework of silhouette-related cues is required. This framework is prominent in manual sketches and is especially important in small-scale depictions viewed obliquely from above. Occluding contours, namely the lines delineating depth discontinuities in the projected surface, are insufficient for forming this framework. The role which the occluding contour, or Factual Silhouette, plays in structuring the sketch becomes increasingly minimal as more of the terrain becomes visible, as the viewpoint is raised.The aim of this research is to extend the set of occluding contours to encompass situations that are perceived as causing an occlusion and would therefore be sketched in a similar manner. These locations, termed Formulated Silhouettes supplement the set of occluding contours and provide a successful structuring framework. The proposed method processes visible areas of terrain, which are turning away from view, to extract a classified, vector-based description for a given view of a Digital Elevation Model. Background approaches to silhouette rendering are reviewed and the specific contributions of this thesis are discussed.The method is tested using case studies composed of terrain of varying scale and character and two application studies demonstrate how silhouettes can be used to enhance existing terrain visualization techniques, both abstract and realistic. In addition, consultation with cartographic designers provides external verification of the research. The thesis concludes by noting how silhouette contours relate to perceived entities rather than actual occlusions

Theory-driven Visual Design to Support Reflective Dietary Practice via mHealth: A Design Science Approach

Design for reflection in human-computer interaction (HCI) has evolved from focusing on an abstract and outcome-driven design subject towards exposing procedural or structural reflection characteristics. Although HCI research has recognized that an individual\u27s reflection is a long-lasting, multi-layered process that can be supported by meaningful design, researchers have made few efforts to derive insights from a theoretical perspective about appropriate translation into end-user visual means. Therefore, we synthesize theoretical knowledge from reflective practice and learning and argue for a differentiation between time contexts of reflection that design needs to address differently. In an interdisciplinary design-science-research project in the mHealth nutrition promotion context, we developed theory-driven guidelines for “reflection-in-action” and “reflection-on-action”. Our final design guidelines emerged from prior demonstrations and a final utility evaluation with mockup artifacts in a laboratory experiment with 64 users. Our iterative design and the resulting design guidelines offer assistance for addressing reflection design by answering reflective practice’s respective contextual requirements. Based on our user study, we show that reflection in terms of “reflection- in-action” benefits from offering actionable choice criteria in an instant timeframe, while “reflection-on-action” profits from the structured classification of behavior-related criteria from a longer, still memorable timeframe

Interactive applications and rhetorical devices for guiding parent-clinician communication through data visualizations

Effective communication between clinicians and parents of young children can decrease parents' anxiety and discomfort, help them handle bad news and uncertainty, and improve their adherence to proposed interventions. Parent-clinician communication further has the potential to facilitate collaboration and increase parents' empowerment. However when communication involves a discussion of the child's developmental delay or challenging behaviors, parents experience an emotional strain as they discuss hopes and fears, developmental concerns, and feelings of distress. As a consequence, communication challenges may emerge such as denial and the parent's resistance against the information that the clinician presents. In addition to the emotional strain, parents also experience a cognitive burden due to medical jargon or presentation of data that is inaccessible to them. In fact, in most health care settings, parents reported their expectation of more accessible information than is currently provided. In order to address these challenges, I present data visualization as a method of facilitating parent-clinician communication. This dissertation covers the cognitive perception and the practical application of data visualization in parent-clinician communication through: (1) rhetorical devices that are used to guide people's understanding of data visualizations, and (2) interactive applications I have built that explore the role of data visualizations in clinical communication. Through exploring cognitive and practical aspects of visualizations in communication, this dissertation makes three contributions. First, I showcase three interactive webtools that involve visualizations, and demonstrate that visualizations can facilitate family-clinician communication through overcoming 1) the emotional barriers by presenting children's behaviors to parents in an objective manner and 2) the cognitive barriers by acting as an anchor for conversation and presenting important developmental concepts or patterns that are hard to convey through words or text. Next, I identify features that make behavioral visualizations useful for various communication based tasks, such as displaying microbehaviors and providing a balanced representation of child-adult interaction, instead of solely focusing on the child behavior. Finally, I present visual and textual cues as rhetorical devices for shaping the message in the visualization and guiding the viewers through visualizations. These devices help reduce confusion and prevent miscommunication in visual-based communication as thus contribute to a more effective parent-clinician communication