Using concrete scales: a practical framework for effective visual depiction of complex measures

IEEE Trans Vis Comput Graph. 2013 Dec;19(12):2426-35. doi: 10.1109/TVCG.2013.210.

Abstract

From financial statistics to nutritional values, we are frequently exposed to quantitative information expressed in measures of either extreme magnitudes or unfamiliar units, or both. A common practice used to comprehend such complex measures is to relate, re-express, and compare them through visual depictions using magnitudes and units that are easier to grasp. Through this practice, we create a new graphic composition that we refer to as a concrete scale. To the best of our knowledge, there are no design guidelines that exist for concrete scales despite their common use in communication, educational, and decision-making settings. We attempt to fill this void by introducing a novel framework that would serve as a practical guide for their analysis and design. Informed by a thorough analysis of graphic compositions involving complex measures and an extensive literature review of scale cognition mechanisms, our framework outlines the design space of various measure relations--specifically relations involving the re-expression of complex measures to more familiar concepts--and their visual representations as graphic compositions.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Computer Graphics*
  • Decision Making*
  • Decision Support Techniques*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • User-Computer Interface*