Object-centric temporal navigation for dynamic information visualizations.
Date
2014-08-01
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Abstract
We introduce object-centric temporal navigation for time-varying information visualizations.
In our approach, navigation through time is controlled by interacting directly with
any data item, enabling simultaneous exploration of the time dimension while focusing on
the changing item. Subtle visualizations of a data item’s temporal trend are provided to
guide navigation. To demonstrate how object-centric navigation can be designed for different
types of dynamic visualizations, we created two techniques: DimpVis, for exploring
changing visual variables in different information visualizations, and Glidgets, for exploring
topological changes in dynamic graphs. Both techniques enable intuitive investigation
of spatial queries. For example, using DimpVis to answer “Was this bar ever at 500?” in an
animated bar chart, one simply has to drag the bar to that height. Comparative task-based
evaluations revealed that DimpVis was quantitatively competitive to existing navigation
techniques. Additionally, both Glidgets and DimpVis were overall subjectively preferred
over the time slider by participants.
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Keywords
Information visualization, Time navigation, Interaction