We present a computational study of a visualization method for invariant sets based on ergodic partition theory, first proposed by Mezić (Ph.D. thesis, Caltech, 1994) and Mezić and Wiggins [Chaos 9, 213 (1999)]. The algorithms for computation of the time averages of observables on phase space are developed and used to provide an approximation of the ergodic partition of the phase space. We term the graphical representation of this approximation--based on time averages of observables--a mesochronic plot (from Greek: meso--mean, chronos--time). The method is useful for identifying low-dimensional projections (e.g., two-dimensional slices) of invariant structures in phase spaces of dimensionality bigger than two. We also introduce the concept of the ergodic quotient space, obtained by assigning a point to every ergodic set, and provide an embedding method whose graphical representation we call the mesochronic scatter plot. We use the Chirikov standard map as a well-known and dynamically rich example in order to illustrate the implementation of our methods. In addition, we expose applications to other higher dimensional maps such as the Froéschle map for which we utilize our methods to analyze merging of resonances and, the three-dimensional extended standard map for which we study the conjecture on its ergodicity [I. Mezić, Physica D 154, 51 (2001)]. We extend the study in our next paper [Z. Levnajić and I. Mezić, e-print arXiv:0808.2182] by investigating the visualization of periodic sets using harmonic time averages. Both of these methods are related to eigenspace structure of the Koopman operator [I. Mezić and A. Banaszuk, Physica D 197, 101 (2004)].