Information visualisation for efficient knowledge discovery and informed decision in design by shopping

Design space exploration (DSE) describes the systematic activity of discovery and evaluation of the elements in a design space in order to identify optimal solutions by reducing the design space to an area of performance. Designers sample thousands of design points iteratively, explore the design space, gain knowledge about the problem and make design decision. The literature tells us that DSE results in a decision of quality called informed decision, which is supported by information visualisation. The representation of design points is seen as primordial to gain an understanding of the problem and make an informed decision. In our work, we have sought to identify what type of graph is best suited to the discovery phase, and enables designers to make an informed decision. We designed a web platform with four design problems, and carried out an experiment with 42 participants. We found a graph that was better suited to making a decision of quality and to gaining greater understanding: the scatter plot matrix.