Interpreting maps through the eyes of expert and novice users

The experiments described in this article combine response time measurements and eye movement data to gain insight into the users' cognitive processes while working with dynamic and interactive maps. Experts and novices participated in a user study with a 'between user' design. Twenty screen maps were presented in a random order to each participant, on which he had to execute a visual search. The combined information of the button actions and eye tracker reveals that both user groups showed a similar pattern in the time intervals needed to locate the subsequent names. From this pattern, information about the users' cognitive load could be derived: use of working memory, learning effect and so on. Moreover, the response times also showed that experts were significantly faster in finding the names in the map image. This is further explained by the eye movement metrics: experts had significantly shorter fixations and more fixations per second meaning that they could interpret a larger part of the map in the same amount of time. As a consequence, they could locate objects in the map image more efficiently and thus faster

Comparing Experts and Novices on Scaffolded Data Visualizations using Eye-tracking

Spatially-based scientific data visualizations are becoming widely available, yet they are often not optimized for novice audiences. This study follows after an investigation of ex-pert and novice meaning-making from scaffolded data visualizations using clinical inter-views. Using eye-tracking and concurrent interviewing, we examined quantitative fixation and AOI data and qualitative scan path data for two expertise groups (N = 20) on five versions of scaffolded global ocean data visualizations. We found influences of expertise, scaffolding, and trial. In accordance with our clinical interview findings, experts use dif-ferent meaning-making strategies from novices, but novice performance improves with scaffolding and guided practice, providing triangulation. Eye-tracking data also provide insight on meaning-making and effectiveness of scaffolding that clinical interviews alone did not

Exploring the cognitive load of expert and novice map users using EEG and eye tracking

The main objective of this research is to explore the cognitive processes of expert and novice map users during the retrieval of map-related information, within varying difficulty levels (i.e., easy, moderate, hard), by using eye tracking and electroencephalogram (EEG). In this context, we present a spatial memory experiment consisting of a large number of stimuli to study the effect of task difficulty on map users' behavior through cognitive load measurements. Next to the reaction time and success rate, we used fixation and saccade related eye tracking metrics (i.e., average fixation duration, the number of fixations per second, saccade amplitude and saccade velocity), and EEG power spectrum (i.e., event-related changes in alpha and theta frequency bands) to identify the cognitive load. While fixation metrics indicated no statistically significant difference between experts and novices, saccade metrics proved the otherwise. EEG power spectral density analysis, on the other side, suggested an increase in theta (i.e., event-related synchronization) and a decrease in alpha (except moderate tasks) (i.e., event-related desynchronization) at all difficulty levels of the task for both experts and novices, which is an indicator of cognitive load. Although no significant difference emerged between two groups, we found a significant difference in their overall performances when the participants were classified as good and relatively bad learners. Triangulating EEG results with the recorded eye tracking data and the qualitative analysis of focus maps indeed provided a detailed insight on the differences of the individuals' cognitive processes during this spatial memory task

Detection of moving point symbols on cartographic backgrounds

The present paper presents the performance of an experimental cartographic study towards the examination of the minimum duration threshold required for the detection by the central vision of a moving point symbol on cartographic backgrounds. The examined threshold is investigated using backgrounds with discriminant levels of information. The experimental process is based on the collection (under free viewing conditions) and the analysis of eye movement recordings. The computation of fixation derived statistical metrics allows the calculation of the examined threshold as well as the study of the general visual reaction of map users. The critical duration threshold calculated within the present study corresponds to a time span around 400msec. The results of the analysis indicate meaningful evidences about these issues while the suggested approach can be applied towards the examination of perception thresholds related to changes occurred on dynamic stimuli

Users’ Cognitive Load: A Key Aspect to Successfully Communicate Visual Climate Information

The visual communication of climate information is one of the cornerstones of climate services. It often requires the translation of multidimensional data to visual channels by combining colors, distances, angles, and glyph sizes. However, visualizations including too many layers of complexity can hinder decision-making processes by limiting the cognitive capacity of users, therefore affecting their attention, recognition, and working memory. Methodologies grounded on the fields of user-centered design, user interaction, and cognitive psychology, which are based on the needs of the users, have a lot to contribute to the climate data visualization field. Here, we apply these methodologies to the redesign of an existing climate service tool tailored to the wind energy sector. We quantify the effect of the redesign on the users’ experience performing typical daily tasks, using both quantitative and qualitative indicators that include response time, success ratios, eye-tracking measures, user perceived effort, and comments, among others. Changes in the visual encoding of uncertainty and the use of interactive elements in the redesigned tool reduced the users’ response time by half, significantly improved success ratios, and eased decision-making by filtering nonrelevant information. Our results show that the application of user-centered design, interaction, and cognitive aspects to the design of climate information visualizations reduces the cognitive load of users during tasks performance, thus improving user experience. These aspects are key to successfully communicating climate information in a clearer and more accessible way, making it more understandable for both technical and nontechnical audiences.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreements 776787 (S2S4E), 776613 (EUCP), and (ClimatEurope). This work was also supported by the MEDSCOPE project. MEDSCOPE is part of ERA4CS, an ERA-NET initiated by JPI Climate, and funded by AEMET (ES), ANR (FR), BSC (ES), CMCC (IT), CNR (IT), IMR (BE), and Météo-France (FR), with co-funding by the European Union (Grant 690462). The research team would like to thank the participants of the test who generously shared their time and opinions for the purposes of this research. This study is a part of the PhD of the corresponding author, Luz Calvo.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

A vetületválasztás hatása kis méretarányú térképek olvasására

Az eredmények több esetben is alátámasztják Vakabajasi (2013) felvetését, miszerint a kis méretarányú térképek értelmezése tanult folyamat eredménye. Minél gyakrabban lát a térképolvasó adott tulajdonságú térképeket, annál erősebb prekoncepció alakul ki benne a „helyes” térképekről. Ennek alapján a vetületválasztás szerepe is megnő, mivel az nem kizárólag esztétikai kérdés marad, hanem a térképolvasók világról alkotott szemléletét is befolyásolhatja. Az eredmények azt mutatják, hogy a fiatalabb korosztályt (20 év alattiak) jelentősebben befolyásolta az alkalmazott vetület, ami arra utal, hogy kevesebb előítélettel rendelkeznek a vetületeket illetően. Ez azt jelenti, hogy a fiatalok esetében különösen jelentős a térképszerkesztők feladata, hiszen könnyebben befolyásolható ennek a célcsoportnak a világképe. Ugyanakkor meg kell jegyezni, hogy jelen csoport kis létszáma befolyásolhatta a kutatási eredményünket. Az említett előítélet leglátványosabban a földrajz- és földtudományokban tapasztalt kitöltőknél jelent meg: ők általában a megszokott vetületeken tudtak jól teljesíteni, a nem szokványos, kisebb torzulású vetületeken a teljesítményük el is maradhatott tapasztalatlan társaiktól. A kitöltőink körében a legnagyobb kavarodást a pólusvonal jelenléte okozta. Az eredményeinkben kimutatott értelmezési problémák miatt a pólusvonalas vetületeket csak abban az esetben javasolhatjuk, ha a térkép tematikája nem terjed ki magas szélességekre, és a pólusvonalas térkép torzulásai jelentősen kedvezőbbek lennének a megfelelő póluspontos térképnél. Összefoglalásul, kutatásunk bemutatta, hogy a vetületek jelentős szerepet játszanak a kis méretarányú térképek olvasásában. Az esztétikai megjelenés mellett figyelembe kell venni a vetületi tulajdonságokat is, mivel a felhasználók térképolvasási képességének fejlődését is befolyásolhatják

Listen to the map user : cognition, memory, and expertise

This paper aims to extend current research regarding map users' cognitive processes while working with screen maps. The described experiment investigates how (expert and novice) map users retrieve information from memory that was previously gathered from screen maps. A user study was conducted in which participants had to draw a map from memory. During this task, they were instructed to say out loud every thought that came into mind. Both user groups addressed the same general cognitive structures and processes to solve the task at hand. However, the experts' background knowledge facilitated the retrieval process and allowed them to derive extra information through deductive reasoning. The novices used more descriptive terms instead of naming the objects and could remember less, and less detailed map elements