MyBrush: Brushing and Linking with Personal Agency

We extend the popular brushing and linking technique by incorporating personal agency in the interaction. We map existing research related to brushing and linking into a design space that deconstructs the interaction technique into three components: source (what is being brushed), link (the expression of relationship between source and target), and target (what is revealed as related to the source). Using this design space, we created MyBrush, a unified interface that offers personal agency over brushing and linking by giving people the flexibility to configure the source, link, and target of multiple brushes. The results of three focus groups demonstrate that people with different backgrounds leveraged personal agency in different ways, including performing complex tasks and showing links explicitly. We reflect on these results, paving the way for future research on the role of personal agency in information visualization

Active Reading of Visualizations

We investigate whether the notion of active reading for text might be usefully applied to visualizations. Through a qualitative study we explored whether people apply observable active reading techniques when reading paper-based node-link visualizations. Participants used a range of physical actions while reading, and from these we synthesized an initial set of active reading techniques for visualizations. To learn more about the potential impact such techniques may have on visualization reading, we implemented support for one type of physical action from our observations (making freeform marks) in an interactive node-link visualization. Results from our quantitative study of this implementation show that interactive support for active reading techniques can improve the accuracy of performing low-level visualization tasks. Together, our studies suggest that the active reading space is ripe for research exploration within visualization and can lead to new interactions that make for a more flexible and effective visualization reading experience

Design by immersion: A transdisciplinary approach to problem-driven visualizations

While previous work exists on how to conduct and disseminate insights from problem-driven visualization work and design studies, the literature does not address how to accomplish these goals in transdisciplinary teams in ways that advance all disciplines involved. In this paper we introduce and define a new methodological paradigm we call design by immersion, which provides an alternative perspective on problem-driven visualization work. Design by immersion embeds transdisciplinary experiences at the center of the visualization process by having visualization researchers participate in the work of the target domain (or domain experts participate in visualization research). Based on our own combined experiences of working on cross-disciplinary, problem-driven visualization projects, we present six case studies that expose the opportunities that design by immersion enables, including (1) exploring new domain-inspired visualization design spaces, (2) enriching domain understanding through personal experiences, and (3) building strong transdisciplinary relationships. Furthermore, we illustrate how the process of design by immersion opens up a diverse set of design activities that can be combined in different ways depending on the type of collaboration, project, and goals. Finally, we discuss the challenges and potential pitfalls of design by immersion

Exploration Strategies for Discovery of Interactivity in Visualizations

We investigate how people discover the functionality of an interactive visualization that was designed for the general public. While interactive visualizations are increasingly available for public use, we still know little about how the general public discovers what they can do with these visualizations and what interactions are available. Developing a better understanding of this discovery process can help inform the design of visualizations for the general public, which in turn can help make data more accessible. To unpack this problem, we conducted a lab study in which participants were free to use their own methods to discover the functionality of a connected set of interactive visualizations of public energy data. We collected eye movement data and interaction logs as well as video and audio recordings. By analyzing this combined data, we extract exploration strategies that the participants employed to discover the functionality in these interactive visualizations. These exploration strategies illuminate possible design directions for improving the discoverability of a visualization's functionality

Visual Encoding of Dissimilarity Data via Topology-Preserving Map Deformation

We present an efficient technique for topology-preserving map deformation and apply it to the visualization of dissimilarity data in a geographic context. Map deformation techniques such as value-by-area cartograms are well studied. However, using deformation to highlight (dis)similarity between locations on a map in terms of their underlying data attributes is novel. We also identify an alternative way to represent dissimilarities on a map through the use of visual overlays. These overlays are complementary to deformation techniques and enable us to assess the quality of the deformation as well as to explore the design space of blending the two methods. Finally, we demonstrate how these techniques can be useful in several—quite different—applied contexts: travel-time visualization, social demographics research and understanding energy flowing in a wide-area power-grid

Flexible trees: Sketching tree layouts

We introduce Flexible Trees, a sketch-based layout adjustment technique. Although numerous tree layout algorithms exist, these algorithms are usually bound to fit within standard shapes such as rectangles, circles and triangles. In order to provide the possibility of interactively customizing a tree layout, we offer a free-form sketchbased interaction through which one can re-define the boundary constraints for the tree layouts by combining ray-line intersection and line segment intersection. Flexible Trees offer topology preserving adjustments; can be used with a variety of tree layouts; and offer a simple way of authoring tree layouts for infographic purposes

A Library for Declarative Resolution-Independent 2D Graphics

The design of most 2D graphics frameworks has been guided by what the computer can draw efficiently, instead of by how graphics can best be expressed and composed. As a result, such frameworks restrict expressivity by providing a limited set of shape primitives, a limited set of textures and only affine transformations. For example, non-affine transformations can only be added by invasive modification or complex tricks rather than by simple composition. More general frameworks exist, but they make it harder to describe and analyze shapes. We present a new declarative approach to resolution-independent 2D graphics that generalizes and simplifies the functionality of traditional frameworks, while preserving their efficiency. As a real-world example, we show the implementation of a form of focus+context lenses that gives better image quality and better performance than the state-of-the-art solution at a fraction of the code. Our approach can serve as a versatile foundation for the creation of advanced graphics and higher level frameworks

SketCHI 3.0:Hands-on special interest group on sketching education in HCI

Whilst studying Human-Computer Interaction, students and work-place learners rarely encounter sketching, yet such practice has been shown to improve cognitive processes and increase retention of information. Additionally, it is a valuable method of ideation and communication for both subjective and group-based projects. We propose further integration of sketching practice within HCI and computer science curricula, both to preserve this valuable skill for use in research and industry, and to widen the perspectives of those working with subjects often seen as grounded in code or logic. SketCHI #3 will bring together those interested in enhancing student's and colleagues experience in a hands-on meeting of minds and sketching, with the aim to share best practice and knowledge for those interested in expanding our views on education in the field, and to co-create a Sketching in HCI education plan with a body of knowledge

Slicing the aurora: An immersive proxemics-aware visualization

The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights is a phenomenon that has fascinated people throughout history. The AuroraMAX outreach initiative provides a collection of time-lapse videos of the night sky captured by a camera at Yellowknife in Canada. We present an interactive visualization of this AuroraMAX image data on a large touch display. Our visualization slices each time-lapse video to represent an entire night as a single image or keogram, provides different views on the keograms, and allows people to explore and compare nights to discover interesting patterns. To entice people to interact, we use proxemic interaction and animate the visualization in response to people's movements in front of the display. We deployed the visualization in a public space at an art-science festival. Initial findings suggest that the proxemic interaction aspect helps to draw people in and that the visualization generates interest from passersby, providing opportunities for science outreach