A Task-Analytic Approach to the Automated Design of Information Graphics
Abstract
Graphical representations popularly thought to be useful for communicating and processing information yield mixed results when tested with real users. Cognitive research suggests that graphic design methodologies that focus primarily on the information to be presented in a graphic fail to exploit the potentials of graphics for expediting human performance of information- processing tasks: (a) allowing users to substitute efficient visual operators in place of more demanding logical operators; and (b) streamlining users' search for needed information. BOZ is a graphic design and presentation tool that constructively applies task-analytic principles of the user tasks. BOZ analyses a procedural description of a user task and derives a provably equivalent visual task by substituting visual operators in place of logical operators. BOZ automatically designs and renders an accompanying graphic, encoding data in the graphic such that performance of each visual operator is supported and visual search is minimized. Graphics produced by BOZ are static 2D images that support interactive manipulations of the graphical objects in a display to allow direct modification of the internally stored information that the graphic depicts. BOZ is used to design a graphical alternative to a standard tabular display of airline schedule information to support an airline reservation task. Keywords: Graphic design, Task analysis, Perception, Visual languages, User interface.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA219271
Entities
People
- Stephen Casner
Organizations
- Carnegie Mellon University