Abstract:
The importance of interaction to Information Visualization (InfoVis) and, in
particular, of the interplay between interactivity and cognition is widely
recognized [12][15][32][55][70]. This interplay, combined with the demands
from increasingly large and complex datasets, is driving the increased
significance of interaction in InfoVis. In parallel, there have been rapid
advances in many facets of interaction technologies. However, InfoVis
interactions have yet to take full advantage of these new possibilities in
interaction technologies, as they largely still employ the traditional
desktop, mouse, and keyboard setup of WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, and a
Pointer) interfaces. In this paper, we reflect more broadly about the role of
more natural interactions for InfoVis and provide opportunities for future
research. We discuss and relate general HCI interaction models to existing
InfoVis interaction classifications by looking at interactions from a novel
angle, taking into account the entire spectrum of interactions. Our
discussion of InfoVis-specific interaction design considerations helps us
identify a series of underexplored attributes of interaction that can lead to
new, more natural, interaction techniques for InfoVis.