Seascape and volcano: visualizing online discussions using timeless motion

ABSTRACT

Motion is the strongest visual appeal to attention [2], yet it is rarely used in the visualization of large-scale quantitative information. Motion is complex; it can vary across numerous dimensions, each of which is potentially an information-bearing element in the visualization. Which dimensions are used and how the data is mapped onto them are the key questions in using motion effectively. In this paper we present two interfaces that use motion as the primary visual element for representing data. These interfaces, Seascape and Volcano, use periodic animation loops to represent key social interaction features in online discussions. We propose that motion may be particularly well suited for representing data about behavior and actions, creating visualizations that intuitively depict different levels and types of activity. In this paper we describe the interfaces we have built and present the results of preliminary user studies.

References

1. Allison, T., Puce, A., McCarthy G. Social perception from visual cues: role of the STS region. TICS, 2000.
2. Arnheim, R. Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye. University of California Press, CA, 1974.
3. Bartram, L. Perceptual and interpretative properties of motion for information visualization. Technical Report CMPT-TR-1997-15, School of Computing Science, Simon Fraser University, September 1997.
4. Bartram, L. Perceptual and Interpretative Properties of Motion for Information Visualization. In Proceedings of the 1997 workshop on new paradigms in information visualization and manipulation, November 1997.
5. Boyd, D., Lee, H-Y., Ramage, D. and Donath, J. Developing legible visualization for online social spaces. In Proceedings of 35th HICSS, Big Island, HI:IEEE Computer Society, January 7-10, 2002.
6. Jesse, R. Motion enhanced visualization in support of Information fusion. In Proceedings of CISST'2001. 492--497. CSREA Press. June 2001.
7. Sack, Warren. Discourse Diagrams: Interface Design for Very Large-Scale Conversations. In Proceedings of 33rd HICSS, Maui, Hawaii, 2000.
8. Smith, M., Fiore, A. Visualization Components for Persistent Conversations. In Proceedings of CHI 2001, ACM Press, 2001.
9. Tufte, E.R. Envisioning Information. Graphics Press, Chesire, CT 1990.
10. Wattenberg, M.M., Millen, D.R. Conversation Thumbnails for Large-Scale Discussions. In Proceedings of CHI 2003 ACM Press, 2003.
11. Whittaker, S., Terveen, L., Hill, W., and Cherny, L. The dynamics of mass communication. In Proceedings of CSCW'98, 1998.

Index Terms

• Computing methodologies

  • Computer graphics

    • Animation

  • Modeling and simulation

    • Simulation types and techniques

      • Simulation by animation

• Human-centered computing

  • Collaborative and social computing

    • Collaborative and social computing systems and tools

      • Asynchronous editors