I’d like to follow up on this interesting discussion with some related work that I’ve been doing research on.
Some of the last comments are on the relative easiness from the user’s point of view of visualizations with different degrees of interactivity or on whether interactivity is really required for information transfer or not. These are quite important points, because of course interactivity should not be perceived as burden or unnecessity by the user.
An important point that has not yet been addressed, however, is whether interactivity leads to higher learning and improves comprehension. Of course, it assists knowledge acquisition if learning happens easily and is perceived as relevant (to address the previous points). But especially when it is not only about knowledge representation but also knowledge transfer as a goal of a visualization, simplicity is not always in the first priority. Much more important is whether a learning effect takes place and which kind of knowledge can be absorbed better/worse with which amount of interactivity.
Several studies have shown, especially in learning environments and science education, that interactive learning tools like computer simulations, interactive learning modules or animations lead to a better retention of material. Not only the time to absorb knowledge was shortened, but the knowledge was also absorbed more sustainably and effectively (Millard, 2000, Pinter et al., 2010, Rutten et al., 2012). Furthermore, it was shown that specific interactive visualizations led to a deeper and clearer understanding of what was presented (Lengler and Eppler, 2007) and helped to achieve intrinsic motivation as well as self efficacy (Barak et al., 2011). Other studies showed that the exploratory component and challenge to interpretation skills prompted learners to invent their own investigative strategies and thus constructively build knowledge (Liang and Sedig, 2010; Spence, 2007, Thomas and Cook, 2005).
One study in particular explores more what was originally asked in this forum post: How much interaction is too much/too little? More specifically, the study examines the question of when a higher degree of interaction leads to higher learnings. In doing so, authors Patwardhan and Murthy (2015) found that different types of knowledge require different levels of interaction - but also improve learning overall. Most importantly, they found that when it comes to understanding information, interaction tends to be a constraint because it takes up cognitive resources - which was addressed in the comments above. However, when it comes to applying certain knowledge subsequently in a task, interactivity was found to be helpful.
A possible adaptation of the above guideline “Use interaction in visualization sparingly and cautiously” would therefore be to encourage interactivity more in visualizations that are primarily intended to convey information in order to apply the depicted knowledge in a task.
While many of these examples and studies are specific to learning environments, I think other fields of visualization can benefit from these insights as well, since the communication and direct application of knowledge can become important in many visualization scenarios.
I’m excited to hear your opinions on this!
Some literature:
D.L. Millard
Interactive learning modules for electrical engineering education
Electronic Components & Technology Conference, 2000. Proceedings. 50th, IEEE (2000), pp. 1042-1047
R. Pinter, D. Radosav, S.M. Cisar
Interactive animation in developing e-learning contents
MIPRO, 2010 Proceedings of the 33rd International Convention, IEEE (2010), pp. 1007-1010
N. Rutten, W.R. Van Joolingen, J.T. Van der Veen
The learning effects of computer simulations in science education
Computers & Education, 58 (1) (2012), pp. 136-153
M. Barak, T. Ashkar, Y.J. Dori
Learning science via animated movies: Its effect on students’ thinking and motivation
Computers & Education, 56 (3) (2011), pp. 839-846
H.-N. Liang, K. Sedig
Can interactive visualization tools engage and support pre-university students in exploring non-trivial mathematical concepts?
Computers & Education, 54 (4) (2010), pp. 972-991
R. Spence
Information visualization: Design for interaction
(2nd ed.), Pearson Education Limited, Harlow, UK (2007)
J.J. Thomas, K.A. Cook (Eds.)
Illuminating the path: The research and development agenda for visual analytics
IEEE Computer Society Press (2005)
Patwardhan, M., & Murthy, S.
When does higher degree of interaction lead to higher learning in visualizations? Exploring the role of ‘Interactivity Enriching Features’.
Computers & Education , 82 , 292-305 (2015).
