Ji Soo Yi

Toward a Deeper Understanding of the Role of Interaction in Information Visualization

Even though interaction is an important part of information visualization (Infovis), it has garnered a relatively low level of attention from the Infovis community. A few frameworks and taxonomies of Infovis interaction techniques exist, but they typically focus on low-level operations and do not address the variety of benefits interaction provides. After conducting an extensive review of Infovis systems and their interactive capabilities, we propose seven general categories of interaction techniques widely used in Infovis: 1) Select, 2) Explore, 3) Reconfigure, 4) Encode, 5) Abstract/Elaborate, 6) Filter, and 7) Connect. These categories are organized around a users intent while interacting with a system rather than the low-level interaction techniques provided by a system. The categories can act as a framework to help discuss and evaluate interaction techniques and hopefully lay an initial foundation toward a deeper understanding and a science of interaction.

Capturing the effects of context on human performance in mobile computing systems

Many real world mobile device interactions occur in context-rich environments. However, the majority of empirical studies on mobile computing are conducted in static or idealized conditions, resulting in a deficit of understanding of how changes in context impact users’ abilities to perform effectively. This paper attempts to address the disconnect between the actual use and the evaluation of mobile devices by varying contextual conditions and recording changes in behavior. A study was performed to investigate the specific effects of changes in motion, lighting, and task type on user performance and workload. The results indicate that common contextual variations can lead to dramatic changes in behavior and that interactions between contextual factors are also important to consider.

Dust & magnet: multivariate information visualization using a magnet metaphor

The use of multivariate information visualization techniques is intrinsically difficult because the multidimensional nature of data cannot be effectively presented and understood on real-world displays, which have limited dimensionalities. However, the necessity to use these techniques in daily life is increasing as the amount and complexity of data grows explosively in the information age. Thus, multivariate information visualization techniques that are easier to understand and more accessible are needed for the general population. In order to meet this need, the present paper proposes Dust & Magnet, a multivariate information visualization technique using a magnet metaphor and various interactive techniques. The intuitive magnet metaphor and subsequent interactions facilitate the ease of learning this multivariate information visualization technique. A visualization tool such as Dust & Magnet has the potential to increase the acceptance of and utility for multivariate information by a broader population of users who are not necessarily knowledgeable about multivariate information visualization techniques.

Understanding and characterizing insights: how do people gain insights using information visualization?

Even though providing insight has been considered one of the main purposes of information visualization (InfoVis), we feel that insight is still a not-well-understood concept in this context. Inspired by research in sensemaking, we realized the importance of the procedural aspects in understanding insight. Thus, rather than asking What is insight? we instead focus on How do people gain insights? In an effort to better understand and characterize insight, we reviewed previous literature in InfoVis, seeking other researchers comments and views on this concept. We found that: 1) Insights are often regarded as end results of using InfoVis and the procedures to gain insight have been largely veiled; 2) Four largely distinctive processes of gaining insight (Provide Overview, Adjust, Detect Pattern, and Match Mental Model) have been discussed in the InfoVis literature; and 3) These different processes provide some hints to understand the procedures in which insight can be gained from InfoVis. We hope that our findings help researchers and practitioners evaluate InfoVis systems and technologies in a more insight-oriented way.

An empirical comparison of use-in-motion evaluation scenarios for mobile computing devices

There is a clear need for evaluation methods that are specifically suited to mobile device evaluation, largely due to the vast differences between traditional desktop computing and mobile computing. One difference of particular interest that needs to be accounted for is that mobile computing devices are frequently used while the user is in motion, in contrast to desktop computing. This study aims to validate the appropriateness of two evaluation methods that vary in representativeness of mobility, one that uses a treadmill to simulate motion and another that uses a controlled walking scenario.The results lead to preliminary guidelines based on study objectives for researchers wishing to use more appropriate evaluation methodologies for empirical, data-driven mobile computing studies. The guidelines indicate that using a treadmill for mobile evaluation can yield representative performance measures,whereas a controlled walking scenario is more likely to adequately simulate the atual user experience.

Context awareness via a single device-attached accelerometer during mobile computing

Interest in context-aware computing has expanded the use of sensing technologies. The accelerometer is one of the most widely used sensors for capturing context because it is small, inexpensive, lightweight, and self-operable. In efforts to obtain behavioral patterns, many studies have reported the use of multiple accelerometers attached to the human body. However, this is difficult to implement in real-life situations and may not fully address the context of user interaction. In contrast, the present study employed a single tri-axial accelerometer attached to a handheld computing device instead of to a user. The objective was to determine what contextual information could be obtained from this more feasible, albeit limited, source of acceleration data. Data analyses confirmed that changes in both mobility and lighting conditions induced statistically significant differences in the output of the accelerometer.

A systematic examination of universal design resources: part 1, heuristic evaluation

This paper presents the evaluation of eight published Universal Design Resources (UDRs) to measure how effectively they support typical design processes and design psychology. New heuristics and principles to evaluate the UDRs from the point of view of designers who were universal design novices were created. Established methodologies for heuristic evaluation were used with the new heuristics. The evaluators found numerous problems in seven of the eight UDRs, providing evidence in support of the hypothesis that the content UDRs does not facilitate the design process and is not commensurate with what is known about typical design psychology.

Are "universal design resources" designed for designers?

Universal design (UD) is an approach to design that incorporates things which can be used by all people to the greatest extent possible. UD in information and communication technologies (ICTs) is of growing importance because standard ICTs have great potential to be usable by all people, including people with disabilities (PWDs). Currently, PWDs who need ICTs often have less access because the products have not been universally designed. We hypothesize that one of the reasons for the slow adoption of UD is that universal design resources (UDRs) are not adequate for facilitating designers tasks. We investigated the usability of UDRs from designers perspectives. A heuristic evaluation on eight selected UDRs was conducted, and the opinions of contributors to the content of these resources were collected through a web-based survey study. The results of the heuristic evaluation show that most of the investigated UDRs do not provide a clear central idea and fail to support the cognitive processes of designers. The results of the survey also confirmed that the content of these resources do not systematically address the needs of designers as end-users during the development process.

Are disability-access guidelines designed for designers?: do they need to be?

In this paper we discuss the implications of recent research studies on disability-related design guidelines. We have investigated the quality of guidelines with respect to designers as their end-users, and we have conducted field studies of the use design resources in practice. We now look at gaps in the current knowledge regarding the conceptualized system that comprises: the designer of technology, end-users of technologies, and guideline-setting committees. We look at the practice of setting up accessibility program offices in large companies as a means to tackle accessibility issues, and examine the implications of this practice for product designers, and people creating disability-based guidelines for technology.

Unresolved Problems in Accessibility and Universal Design Guidelines

FEATURE AT A GLANCE: There are numerous standards, design guidelines, and other resources that relate to the use of technology by people with disabilities. We examined whether such resources met the needs of designers based on typical design processes and design psychology. We conducted a heuristic evaluation of eight resources and then surveyed and interviewed the people who created those resources. Based on our research, we identified five unresolved problems in the creation of guidance: (1) neither the audience nor its needs are clearly defined; (2) the terminology of accessible and universal design is imprecise; (3) there is no universally accepted standard of measurement; (4) enforcement of standards is lax because of their ambiguous nature; and, finally, (5) usability of the guidance is compromised. We provide recommendations for resolving each problem.