| Authors |
Steinberger Markus, Waldner Manuela, Streit Marc, Lex Alexander, Schmalstieg Dieter |
| Appeared in |
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (InfoVis'11) |
| Volume |
17 |
| Number |
12 |
| Pages |
2249-2258 |
| Date |
Dec. 2011 |
| Abstract |
Evaluating, comparing, and interpreting related pieces of information is a common task during visual data analysis and
for all kinds of everyday information-intensive work. Synchronized visual highlighting of related elements is a well known technique
supporting this task. An alternative approach – more invasive but also more expressive – is visual linking, which renders line connections
between related elements. In this work, we present context-preserving visual links as a new method for generating visual links.
The technique aims to fulfill two goals: First, visual links should keep the occlusion of important information minimal, and second,
they should visually stand out from their surrounding information by minimizing visual interference.
We employ an image-based analysis of visual saliency to determine the important regions in the original representation. A consequence
of the image-based approach is that our technique is application-independent and can be employed in a large number of
visual data analysis scenarios, where the underlying content can or should not be altered.
We conducted a controlled experiment that indicates that users can find linked elements in complex visualizations more quickly and
with greater subjective satisfaction, compared to plain highlighting. Context-preserving visual links were perceived as visually more
attractive compared to traditional visual links, which do not take the context information into account. |
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