IEEE VIS 2024 Content: This is the Table I Want! Interactive Data Transformation on Desktop and in Virtual Reality

This is the Table I Want! Interactive Data Transformation on Desktop and in Virtual Reality

Sungwon In -

Tica Lin -

Chris North -

Hanspeter Pfister -

Yalong Yang -

Screen-reader Accessible PDF

Room: Bayshore II

2024-10-16T12:42:00ZGMT-0600Change your timezone on the schedule page
2024-10-16T12:42:00Z
Exemplar figure, described by caption below
Four conditions designed for performing data transformation in the user study, including a combination of desktop or VR environments, and WIMP or gesture interactions.
Fast forward
Full Video
Keywords

Immersive Analytics, Data Transformation, Data Science, Interaction, Empirical Study, Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Reality

Abstract

Data transformation is an essential step in data science. While experts primarily use programming to transform their data, there is an increasing need to support non-programmers with user interface-based tools. With the rapid development in interaction techniques and computing environments, we report our empirical findings about the effects of interaction techniques and environments on performing data transformation tasks. Specifically, we studied the potential benefits of direct interaction and virtual reality (VR) for data transformation. We compared gesture interaction versus a standard WIMP user interface, each on the desktop and in VR. With the tested data and tasks, we found time performance was similar between desktop and VR. Meanwhile, VR demonstrates preliminary evidence to better support provenance and sense-making throughout the data transformation process. Our exploration of performing data transformation in VR also provides initial affirmation for enabling an iterative and fully immersive data science workflow.