<div>Recent advancements in data-collecting technologies have posed new opportunities and challenges to making data-driven decisions. While visual analytics can be a powerful tool for exploring large datasets and extracting relevant insights to support data-driven decisions, many decision-makers lack the time or the technical expertise to utilize visual analytics effectively. It is more common for data analysts to explore data through visual analytics and report their findings to the decision-makers. However, the communication gap between data analysts and decision-makers limits the decision-maker's ability to make optimal data-driven decisions. I present a Three-Component Visual Summary to allow accurate and efficient extraction of insights relevant to the decisions and provide context to validate the insights retrieved. The Three-Component Visual Summary design creates visual summaries by combining visual representations of representative data, analytical highlights, and the data envelope. This design incorporates a high-level summary, the relevant analytical insights, and detailed explorations into one coherent visual representation which addresses the potential training gaps and limited available time for visual analytics. I demonstrate how the design can be applied to four major data types commonly used in commercial visual analytics tools. The evaluations prove the design allows more accurate and efficient knowledge retrieval and a more comprehensive understanding of the data and of the insights generated, making it more accessible to decision-makers that are casual experts. Finally, I summarize the insights gained from the design process and the feedback received, and provide a list of recommendations for designing a Three-Component Visual Summary.</div>

In producing a user interface design to visualize search results for a digital library called Envision [Nowell, France, Hix, Heath, &amp; Fox, 1996] [Fox, Hix, Nowell, et al., 1993] [Nowell &amp; Hix, 1993], we found that choosing graphical devices and document attributes to be encoded with each graphical device is a surprisingly difficult task. By <i>graphical devices</i> we mean those visual display elements (e.g., color, shape, size, position, etc.) used to convey encoded, semantic information. Research in the areas of psychophysics of visual search and identification tasks, graphical perception, and graphical language development provides scientific guidance for design and evaluation of graphical encodings which might otherwise be reduced to opinion and personal taste. However, literature offers inconclusive and often conflicting viewpoints, suggesting a need for further research. The goal of this research was to determine empirically the effectiveness of graphical devices for encoding nominal and quantitative information in complex visualization displays. Using the Envision Graphic View, we conducted a within-subjects empirical investigation of the effectiveness of three graphical devices - <i>icon color, icon shape,</i> and <i>icon size</i> - in communicating nominal (document type) and quantitative (document relevance) data. Our study provides empirical evidence regarding the relative effectiveness of icon color, shape, and size for conveying both nominal and quantitative data. While our studies consistently rank color as most effective, the rankings differ for shape and size. For nominal data, icon shape ranks ahead of icon size by all measures except time for task completion, which places shape behind size. For quantitative data, we found, by all measures, that encodings with icon shape are more effective than with icon size. We conclude that the <i>nature of tasks</i> performed and the relative <i>importance of measures of effectiveness</i> are more significant than the type of data represented for designers choosing among rankings. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of a scalable concept map based navigation system for a digital textbook. A literature review has been conducted to identify possible methods to promote conceptual understanding in the context of a digital textbook, and these hypothesized solutions will be evaluated through a prototype tool. The primary method that has been selected for this study to promote conceptual understanding in textbooks is the concept map. When concept maps are used as advance organizers or navigation aids for hypermedia documents, they have been shown to promote conceptual understanding. Issues with scalability exist, however. When maps become too large or complicated, a phenomenon labeled "map-shock" occurs. Map-shock is a result of cognitive overload that nullifies the positive effects the concept map has on learning. In order to eliminate map-shock, one needs to manage the cognitive load imposed on the learner. This project proposes using information visualization techniques leveraged from the computer science domain to develop an interactive concept map based navigation system that will retain the positive effects of concept maps, and also present the visuals in a way that does not cognitively overload the user. This study seeks to answer the research question: "How can a large-scale concept map visualization tools be realized in a way that promotes conceptual understanding and manages cognitive load?" To answer the research question, a prototype tool, labeled the "Adaptive Map tool", was developed and populated with engineering statics content. This prototype contains content that is similar to the material in a traditional statics textbook, but the information is accessed through the proposed adaptive concept map visualization. The tool was then given to students in engineering statics class to be used as a supplemental textbook. The effects of the Adaptive Map tool were evaluated through a multiple case study approach that allowed researchers to understand how this tool fit into the larger learning context of a class. Results indicated that some students did integrate the Adaptive Map tool into the learning process, and furthermore that the tool did promote meaningful learning behaviors that lead to better conceptual understanding of the material. / Ph. D.

The aim of this work has been to investigate how cost per patient (CPP) data may be visualized for the purposes of Region Östergötland. Visualization could potentially aid decision-makers and managers within the organization who have to deal with aggregated healthcare costs. The work has shown that it is possible to design and implement an interactive web-based visualization tool prototype for the patient data using the Dash visualization library. In order to evaluate how practical the proposed application is from the users’ perspective, interviews have been conducted with the staff of the business intelligence (BI) unit at Region Östergötland. The answers have been positive regarding the usability of the visualization. However, since the application has only served as a prototype yet, further investigations should be made internally to estimate the effect the interactive visualization approach may have on future decision-making processes related to CPP.

Research in automatic control has enabled trucks to use adaptive cruise control to drive very close to each other and form platoons. This reduces drag and improves efficiency by lowering fuel consumption. A central challenge to understanding the formation of these platoons is that not all trucks are emerging from the same origin or reaching the same destination; they only share parts of their joint trip. This study uses participatory design methodologies to create a design for an interactive visualization system to enable researchers to study the formation of platoons in simulated scenarios. Three transport researchers participated in interviews and a set of two workshops to establish their needs and formulate tasks that would improve their understanding of the simulations. The main research-through-design question was “when do platoons form and how large are they?” To forward and ground the discussion, I developed a prototype with increasing fidelity after each round of participatory design. The interface consists four panels: 1) a spatial panel that contains a map view; 2) a temporal panel with context and focus timelines: 3) an adaptation panel with details on inter-truck relationships; and 4) a filtering panel with a parallel coordinate system. The results indicate a need for a flexible interactive visualization system that enables researchers to study how trucks are affected by plan recalculations and how they adapt to their partners influencing the costs and benefits of platooning. / Forskning inom reglerteknik och fordonsstyrning har gett lastbilar och andra tunga fordon möjlighet använda adaptiv farthållning till att köra med ett litet mellanrum och bilda vägkolonner. De kan då utnyttja vindsuget från fordonet framför och på så vis sänka bränsleförbrukningen. En central utmaning i skapandet av dessa kolonner är att fordonen inte har gemensamma startpunkter och destinationer. De delar i de flesta fall endast stycken av sin rutt med andra fordon, och turerna behöver då sammanfalla i tid. Denna studie använder deltagande designmetodik för att designa ett interaktivt visualiseringsverktyg som kan hjälpa forskare att studera skapandet av lastbilskolonner i simulerade scenarion. Tre transportforskare deltog i intervjuer och två cykler av workshops för att synliggöra och formulera arbetsuppgifter som kunde förbättra deras förståelse av simulationerna. Den primära deltagande design-frågan var “när bildas kolonner och hur stora är de?” För att förankra och driva diskussionen kring designen framåt utvecklades en prototyp som viderutvecklades efter varje deltagande designcykel. Interfacet i den resulterande prototypen och består av fyra paneler: 1) en geografisk panel som innehåller en kartvy; 2) en panel med tidslinjer för både fokus och kontext; 3) en anpassningspanel med detaljer på fordonens relationer; och 4) en filtreringspanel med ett parallellt koordinatsystem. Resultatet av studien indikerar ett behov ett flexibel visuellt analysverktyg som tillåter forskare att studera hur fordonen påverkas av förändringar i resplaner och vilken anpassning som krävs för att möta upp andra fordon för kolonnbildning.

Drones in low-altitude air space at a large scale is a new and ongoing field of research and there is a high possibility that we during the coming decades will see a rise in both commercial and state-driven drone activities in this space, especially in urban areas. This will require new ways in which to think and operate all air traffic management around the world. To support the research and realization of this, this master thesis will investigate a way to visualize performance indicators for drones that are related to key performance indicators used in air traffic today. This is done by researching commonly used performance metrics for air traffic and finding a suitable program that can visualize these in different graph types often used in information visualization, to build and evaluate an interactive dashboard that lets a user explore the performance data. The drone data used in this work is retrieved from a drone simulation program where delivery drones act between start, delivery and endpoints. / <p>Examensarbetet är utfört vid Institutionen för teknik och naturvetenskap (ITN) vid Tekniska fakulteten, Linköpings universitet</p>

Society generates more and more data every day, and with competent ways to visualize it, we can learn new things about the world we live in. While traditional visualizations try to stay clear of 3D graphs because they are hard for a user to process without proper depth cues, VR technology allows us to better perceive 3D structures, but what happens to our overview of the data when we perceive and interact with it in 3D? 6 participants were subject to a 3D VR visualization of customer data with filtering possibilities, where they were to perform a series of short tasks as well as a more open-ended free form task. Qualitative data was gathered through extensive semi-structured interviews. Quantitative supportive data was gathered as well in the form of interaction logs, time to complete tasks and the Presence Questionnaire. After this first round of tests, feedback and data was compiled into a new version of the visualization that was then tested on seven new participants. Results showed that seeing the graph from different perspectives was important to gaining an overview of the 3D graph, but also to actively interact with the data helped participants gain an overview by digging deeper into the data. In order to dig into the data in the 3D graph, participants expressed that they would’ve liked to be able to compare subsets of the data. / Vi genererar ofantliga mängder data varje dag, men utan att visualisera denna data är det inte säkert att vi lär oss någonting av den. Med detta följer även ett behov av att visualisera denna data i flera dimensioner, något som varit svårt i informationsvisualiseringar tidigare då det är svårt att representera djup på en platt skärm så att människor förstår. Med VR-teknik kan vi däremot använda detta djupseende i informationsvisualiseringar, men vad händer med vår överblick av informationen när vi ser och interagerar med den i 3D?   6 testpersoner fick interagera med en 3D-visualisering av kunddata med filtreringsmöjligheter i VR och fick i denna utföra en serie mindre uppgifter samt en större, fri uppgift. Under testet samlades kvalitativ data in i form av utförliga semi-strukturerade intervjuer och kvantitativ supportdata i form av loggar av interaktioner, tid att slutföra uppgifter samt svar från Presence Questionnaire för alla testpersoner. Åsikterna från denna testrunda användes sedan för att skapa en ny version av 3Dvisualiseringen som sedan testades på 7 nya personer enligt samma studieformat.   Resultaten visade att det var viktigt att kunna se grafen från olika perspektiv för att få en överblick, såväl som att kunna aktivt filtrera och interagera med visualiseringen för att kunna gräva djupare i datan. För att kunna gräva djupare kände många testpersoner att de behövde ett sätt att enkelt kunna jämföra delmängder av datan med varandra.

With the increasing reliance on digital technology in our lives we, more than ever before, depend on software products and services. The development of such products and services is thereby becoming more complex and sophisticated. In these large software projects, developers often have to make compromises or settle for less than optimal solutions in order to reach deadlines or deliver a product to market in time. This can cause what is known in the industry as Technical debt, the accumulation of cost created by "shortcuts" taken during development. The goal of this paper is to design a concept of a visualization tool to aggregate and present an overview of technical debt in a software development project. Based on this goal, the study tries to answer the following question: Can a visualization tool help software development teams manage technical debt by improving awareness and communication about technical debt strategy and priorities?. A literature study on the topics of technical debt management and information visualization techniques is conducted in order to create a foundation for the work in this study. By leveraging concept driven design research, a survey is conducted and based on the results, an interactive prototype is developed and evaluated, in order to answer the research question. The prototype is evaluated through a critique session including semi-structured interviews with expert users working in software development projects. The main findings are that a visualization tool, like the one proposed in this study, could be used to help developers and other stakeholders in software projects to raise awareness about technical debt strategies and priorities. However, more research are required in order to refine the tool and visualizations included in the prototype. / Med det ökande beroendet av digital teknik i våra liv är vi mer än någonsin tidigare beroende av programvaruprodukter och tjänster. Utvecklingen av sådana produkter och tjänster blir därmed mer komplex och sofistikerad. I dessa stora mjukvaruprojekt måste utvecklare ofta göra kompromisser eller nöja sig med mindre än optimala lösningar för att nå deadlines eller leverera en produkt till marknaden i tid. Detta kan orsaka vad som är känt i branschen som teknisk skuld, ackumulering av kostnader som skapas av "genvägar" under utveckling. Målet med denna uppsats är att utforma ett koncept av ett visualiseringsverktyg för att sammanställa och presentera en översikt över teknisk skuld i ett mjukvaruutvecklingsprojekt. Baserat på detta mål försöker studien svara på följande fråga: Kan ett visualiseringsverktyg hjälpa programvaruutvecklingsteam att hantera teknisk skuld genom att förbättra medvetenheten och kommunikationen om teknisk skuld strategi och prioriteringar?. En litteraturstudie om ämnena teknisk skuldförvaltning och informationsvisualiseringstekniker genomförs för att skapa en grund för arbetet i denna studie. Genom att utnyttja konceptdriven designforskning genomförs en enkätundersökning och baserat på resultaten utvecklas och utvärderas en interaktiv prototyp för att besvara forskningsfrågan. Prototypen utvärderas genom en kritiksession med halvstrukturerade intervjuer med expertanvändare som arbetar med mjukvaruutvecklingsprojekt. De viktigaste resultaten är att ett visualiseringsverktyg, som det som föreslås i denna studie, skulle kunna användas för att hjälpa utvecklare och andra intressenter i mjukvaruprojekt att öka medvetenheten om teknisk skuldstrategier och prioriteringar. Dock krävs mer forskning för att förfina verktyget och visualiseringar som ingår i prototypen.

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