Selected Human Factors Issues in Information Visualization

Information visualization is the art and science of representing abstract information in a visual form that enables human users to gain insight through their perceptual and cognitive capabilities. In this chapter, we examine some key human factors aspects of information visualizations. We begin with an overview of major information visualization principles and techniques, with background on human factors issues that drove the development of those principles and techniques. Next, we look at how human capabilities are best used by visualization, focusing on the use of animation in visualizations. Then we look at the emerging area of large display visualization, examining how visualization changes when a user cannot easily see the entire visualization in detail. We then discuss evaluation of information visualizations, discussing aspects of utility and usability. We conclude by discussing remaining challenges in information visualization and how the field is changing today.