Gratuitous Graphics? Putting Preferences in Perspective

Rapid growth in 3-D rendering technologies has deluged us with glitzy graphical representations. In what contexts do people find 3-D graphs of 2-D data both attractive and useful? We examine students' preferences for graphical display formats under several use scenarios. Line graphs were preferred more for conveying trends than details, and more for promoting memorability than for immediate use; bar graphs showed the opposite pattern. 3-D graphs were preferred more for depicting details than trends, more for memorability than immediate use, and more for showing others than oneself. The reverse held for 2-D graphs. KEYWORDS Visualization, Spatial Representation, 3-D Graphics, User Interface Design.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1996
• Where: CHI
• Authors: Ellen Levy, Jeff Zacks, Barbara Tversky, Diane J. Schiano
• Keywords: 3-D Graphs, 3-D Rendering Technologies, CHI 1996, Human Computer Interaction, Immediate Use