August 20, 2014
Speaker: Brittany Kondo, Computer Science graduate student
Title: Object-centric temporal navigation for dynamic information visualizations
Abstract: We introduce object-centric temporal navigation for exploring time-varying information visualizations. 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 of interest. To guide navigation, subtle visualizations of a data item's temporal trend are provided. We present two object-centric temporal navigation techniques:
- DimpVis, for exploring changing visual variables in different types of varying information visualizations.
- Glidgets, an interactive glyph-based technique for exploring topological changes in dynamic graphs.
Both techniques enable intuitive investigation of spatial queries. For example, we can use DimpVis to answer the question, "Was this bar ever at 500?'" in a time-varying bar chart; one simply has to drag the bar to that height. Comparative, task-based evaluations revealed that:
- DimpVis for the scatter plot was quantitatively competitive with the time slider and small multiples.
- Both Glidgets and DimpVis were subjectively preferred overall by participants.
Biography: Brittany Kondo is a master's student in Computer Science at Ontario Tech University. Her research interests include information visualization and interaction technique design. Starting in September 2014, she will be working with Oculus Info, a visual analytics firm in Toronto, Ontario.