Visual Analytics and Cog Sci in the Real World
Tuesday, January 1st, 2008The 29th annual meeting of the cognitive science society was held August 2007. The theme was applications of cognitive science in the real world. The proceedings have several gems for cognitive designers including the section on Cognitive Science in the Design of Graphical Images and Interfaces.
An item of special interest is the emerging field of visual analytics which was explained as follows:
“Visual analytics takes a cognitive approach to the design of the interactive visual interface. It is informed by graphical design and the perceptual and cognitive sciences. Its goal is to produce computer-generated graphical representations of complex data sets that support users’ innate “visual intelligence” to help them to understand the situations those data represent.” The idea is to develop algorthims that can create visual displays of complex information sets as well as graphical designers and artist can.
A broader definition is provided by James J. Thomas and Kristin A. Cook. They look at visual analytics as a field out to solve the information overload problem by developing a “science of analytical reasoning facilitated by interactive visual interfaces”. They offer a compelling call to action for in their 2005 book: Illuminating the Path: The Research and Development Agenda for Visual Analytics. I will do a blog review of the book and the 2006 and 2007 IEEE conferences on the topic and unpack the implications for cognitive designers later this month.
If successful, visual analytics will provide designers with techniques to lower the cognitive load associated with the graphical display of information on any artifact.
