2021/07/19 by Matthew Brehmer, Brehmer, Matthew, Robert Kosara +1 · 4 citations
Computer Science · Social Sciences · #Data Visualization and Analytics #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC) #Innovative Human-Technology Interaction #Multimedia Communication and Technology
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2107.09042
openalex publication_date 2021/07/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Prior research on communicating with visualization has focused on public\npresentation and asynchronous individual consumption, such as in the domain of\njournalism. The visualization research community knows comparatively little\nabout synchronous and multimodal communication around data within\norganizations, from team meetings to executive briefings. We conducted two\nqualitative interview studies with individuals who prepare and deliver\npresentations about data to audiences in organizations. In contrast to prior\nwork, we did not limit our interviews to those who self-identify as data\nanalysts or data scientists. Both studies examined aspects of speaking about\ndata with visual aids such as charts, dashboards, and tables. One study was a\nretrospective examination of current practices and difficulties, from which we\nidentified three scenarios involving presentations of data. We describe these\nscenarios using an analogy to musical performance: small collaborative team\nmeetings are akin to jam session, while more structured presentations can range\nfrom semi-improvisational performances among peers to formal recitals given to\nexecutives or customers. In our second study, we grounded the discussion around\nthree design probes, each examining a different aspect of presenting data: the\nprogressive reveal of visualization to direct attention and advance a\nnarrative, visualization presentation controls that are hidden from the\naudience's view, and the coordination of a presenter's video with interactive\nvisualization. Our distillation of interviewees' responses surfaced twelve\nthemes, from ways of authoring presentations to creating accessible and\nengaging audience experiences.\n