ABSTRACT
We report a study investigating the viability of using interactive visualizations to aid architectural design with building codes. While visualizations have been used to support general architectural design exploration, existing computational solutions treat building codes as separate from, rather than part of, the design process, creating challenges for architects. Through a series of participatory design studies with professional architects, we found that interactive visualizations have promising potential to aid design exploration and sensemaking in early stages of architectural design by providing feedback about potential allowances and consequences of design decisions. However, implementing a visualization system necessitates addressing the complexity and ambiguity inherent in building codes. To tackle these challenges, we propose various user-driven knowledge management mechanisms for integrating, negotiating, interpreting, and documenting building code rules.
ABSTRACT
We explore how the lens of fictional superpowers can help characterize how visualizations empower people and provide inspiration for new visualization systems. Researchers and practitioners often tout visualizations' ability to "make the invisible visible" and to "enhance cognitive abilities." Meanwhile superhero comics and other modern fiction often depict characters with similarly fantastic abilities that allow them to see and interpret the world in ways that transcend traditional human perception. We investigate the intersection of these domains, and show how the language of superpowers can be used to characterize existing visualization systems and suggest opportunities for new and empowering ones. We introduce two frameworks: The first characterizes seven underlying mechanisms that form the basis for a variety of visual superpowers portrayed in fiction. The second identifies seven ways in which visualization tools and interfaces can instill a sense of empowerment in the people who use them. Building on these observations, we illustrate a diverse set of "visualization superpowers" and highlight opportunities for the visualization community to create new systems and interactions that empower new experiences with data Material and illustrations are available under CC-BY 4.0 at osf.io/8yhfz.
Subject(s)
Computer Graphics , Immersion , Cognition , Humans , PerceptionABSTRACT
Sleep scientists have extensively validated the continuity hypothesis, according to which our dreams reflect what happens during our waking life. Yet, only a few attempts have been made to increase the general public's awareness about the benefits of dream analysis in better understanding and improving our daily life. We designed "The Dreamcatcher," an interactive visual tool that explores the link between dreams and waking life through a collection of dream reports. We conducted a user study with 154 participants and found a 25% increase in the number of people believing that dream analysis can improve our daily lives after interacting with our tool. The visualization informed people about the potential of the continuity hypothesis to a surprising extent, to the point that it increased their concerns about sharing their own dream reports, thus opening new questions on how to design privacy-aware tools for dream collection.
ABSTRACT
Data surrounds each and every one of us in our daily lives, ranging from exercise logs, to archives of our interactions with others on social media, to online resources pertaining to our hobbies. There is enormous potential for us to use these data to understand ourselves better and make positive changes in our lives. Visualization (Vis) and visual analytics (VA) offer substantial opportunities to help individuals gain insights about themselves, their communities and their interests; however, designing tools to support data analysis in non-professional life brings a unique set of research and design challenges. We investigate the requirements and research directions required to take full advantage of Vis and VA in a personal context. We develop a taxonomy of design dimensions to provide a coherent vocabulary for discussing personal visualization and personal visual analytics. By identifying and exploring clusters in the design space, we discuss challenges and share perspectives on future research. This work brings together research that was previously scattered across disciplines. Our goal is to call research attention to this space and engage researchers to explore the enabling techniques and technology that will support people to better understand data relevant to their personal lives, interests, and needs.
