research-article

Evaluating the efficiency of physical visualizations

Authors:

Pierre Dragicevic, and

Jean-Daniel FeketeAuthors Info & Claims

CHI '13: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

April 2013

Pages 2593 - 2602

https://doi.org/10.1145/2470654.2481359

Published: 27 April 2013 Publication History

Abstract

Data sculptures are an increasingly popular form of physical visualization whose purposes are essentially artistic, communicative or educational. But can physical visualizations help carry out actual information visualization tasks? We present the first infovis study comparing physical to on-screen visualizations. We focus on 3D visualizations, as these are common among physical visualizations but known to be problematic on computers. Taking 3D bar charts as an example, we show that moving visualizations to the physical world can improve users' efficiency at information retrieval tasks. In contrast, augmenting on-screen visualizations with stereoscopic rendering alone or with prop-based manipulation was of limited help. The efficiency of physical visualizations seems to stem from features that are unique to physical objects, such as their ability to be touched and their perfect visual realism. These findings provide empirical motivation for current research on fast digital fabrication and self-reconfiguring interfaces.

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Kedwan F(2024)Intermolecular Forces in a Physical Molecular Visualization System: A Human-Computer Interaction ApplicationSSRN Electronic Journal10.2139/ssrn.4840189Online publication date: 2024
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4840189
Sauvé KBrombacher Hvan Koningsbruggen RVeldhuis AHouben SAlexander J(2024)Physicalization from Theory to Practice: Exploring Contemporary Challenges for Physicalization DesignCompanion Publication of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3656156.3658381(368-371)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
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Index Terms

Evaluating the efficiency of physical visualizations
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI '13: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

April 2013

3550 pages

ISBN:9781450318990

DOI:10.1145/2470654

General Chair:
Wendy E. Mackay
INRIA
,
Program Chairs:
Stephen Brewster
Glasgow University
,
Susanne Bødker
University of Aarhus

Copyright © 2013 ACM.

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Published: 27 April 2013

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https://doi.org/10.59324/ejaset.2024.2(2).14
Kedwan F(2024)Intermolecular Forces in a Physical Molecular Visualization System: A Human-Computer Interaction ApplicationSSRN Electronic Journal10.2139/ssrn.4840189Online publication date: 2024
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4840189
Sauvé KBrombacher Hvan Koningsbruggen RVeldhuis AHouben SAlexander J(2024)Physicalization from Theory to Practice: Exploring Contemporary Challenges for Physicalization DesignCompanion Publication of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3656156.3658381(368-371)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3656156.3658381
Bhardwaj AKim J(2024)Tangible Data: Immersive Data Exploration with TouchACM SIGGRAPH 2024 Emerging Technologies10.1145/3641517.3664398(1-2)Online publication date: 13-Jul-2024
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