Towards a Visual Data Language to Improve Insights into Complex Multidimensional Data

Every information visualization has a very basic need – the narration of a story. Over time, new ways to visualize information were developed. Today, almost everyone is familiar with basic chart types such as line chart or pie chart. Charts are applied to present large amounts of data more understandable than spreadsheets or textual reports. Current visual interfaces that deal with big data only show different charts and graph visualizations arranged in dashboards. Hence, the user has an increased cognitive challenge to merge the visualized datasets in order to get insights into complex information. Visualizations that combine multidimensional data can emphasize answers faster than dashboards and reveal information that would go unnoticed and therefore unused in common chart visualizations. Yet, the design of suitable visual representations of complex and multidimensional datasets requires expert knowledge. The information designer has to employ the right design principles to compose a meaningful story to clarify the complexity of datasets, explaining a process, highlighting a trend, or supporting a specific argument. In consequence, a complex interactive visualization requires months of work by highly skilled professionals. On the other hand, data visualization should be a quick and easy way to convey information. But, it should be remembered that poorly designed data representations can distort the intended message, lose the user’s attention, or fail to guide them toward meaningful conclusions.

In this paper, we present a novel tool-supported approach for dealing with complex datasets apart from the well-established charting perspective. The addressed challenge is to reduce development time for information visualization by providing tools of the trade to realize information design in a conceptual, guided, and effective way. Common libraries, framework and tools used to create visual interfaces currently lack an overall information design process that addresses a human-centered access to multidimensional data sets. Hence, designers and developers are constrained to a manual design process.

The aim is to enhance the design process by a guided process based on visualization tools. To this end, we present the ViDaLa approach, which is able to create beautifully looking information visualizations without the expert knowledge of software engineers and information designers.

Information visualization is the representation of data in a graphical form. The concept of using images to understand data has been around for centuries, from maps and graphs in the 17th century to the invention of the pie chart in the early 1800s. Today, information visualization has become a rapidly evolving blend of business, science, and art that is defined as a “visual representations of the semantics, or meaning, of information.[…] information visualization typically deals with nonnumeric, nonspatial, and high-dimensional data.” [1]. Designing information visualization can be described as the practice of presenting information in a way that fosters efficient and effective understanding of the fundamental dataset.

There is a vast variety of methods and approaches in information design such as visualization patterns [2], interaction pattern [3], design guidelines in visualization [4] and in interaction design [5]. In [6] Lau and van de Moere present a model that focus on aesthetics as a conceptual influence on the technical implementation of visualizations. It reveals information aesthetics as the conceptual link between information visualization and visualization art. Lang discusses in [7] the importance of aesthetic in visualizations related to its efficiency, whereas Kosara in [8] proposes a classification of several types of information visualization based on aesthetic criteria. Based on aesthetic criteria as well as patterns and guidelines, Fry describes in [9] the process of creating a data visualization in a very accessible way and introduces a tool that simplifies the computational process for beginners. Munzner defined in [10] a layer-based workflow for the design process of visualization and validation.

Among conceptual and theoretical approaches, there are different kinds of tools and visualization libraries available today. Visualization grammars as a declarative format for creating and saving interactive visualizations like Vega [11]. Graph libraries as a set of tools to display and layout interactive graphs, for instance chartist-js or chart.js as well as business intelligence software to create interactive analysis dashboards from any data source and publish them to analyze data, high performance for large data sources, wide device support, multiple sources, and easy publishing of functions e.g. [12].

In conclusion, there are many expert tools and libraries as well as specific methods available that are used to train professionals in the field of information design. Without such training and tool knowledge, it is almost impossible to design and create sophisticated information visualizations of multidimensional data.

To evaluate the ViDaLa design process, digital medical records of patients in a hospital setting were identified as a complex and multidimensional dataset (Fig. 4). The digital patient record consists of a large number of isolated data entries that are provided by various health information systems and medical devices. In order to transfer the digital patient and decision process model into real clinical applications, the ViDaLa process was applied and the digital medical records of patients were visualized in a graph based-visualization. In the context of interactive representations of clinical processes and information management, a user-intended categorization of information architecture was developed. It was decided to visualize digital patient records as a network visualization. A circle glyph combined with a pie chart is used to visualize data of the patient in a network graph to present dependencies, connections and hierarchies.

With this paper, we illustrated the importance of visualizing information in business units as well as in research and development. The presented ViDaLa approach constitutes a design process for interactive visualizations using a process model that is based on the analysis of given datasets and analysis of a given problem domain.

The presented tool chain is a consistent set of individual tools that are used to perform information design tasks to create an interactive visualization. In general, all of the ViDaLa tools are executed, however, not necessarily executed consecutively. Moreover, the Visual Toolbox contains a visualization library that consists of graphical elements that can be composed and arranged according to the goals of the visualization. The approach presented in this paper allows developers that are not specifically trained in design and information visualization to create visualizations, which assist users in exploring data in order to gain insights and information. Applying the ViDaLa process model, the development time due to a model-based approach can be reduced, while retaining customization of complex visualizations.

ViDaLa aims to make complex and multidimensional data more focused and more understandable for users via visualizations tools and visual analytics methods. The overall goal is to place a strong emphasis on quality over quantity, especially in the big data world. Visualizing data in an effective, creative way will provide more relevant, understandable information. ViDaLa will help to simplify the design process necessary to create visualizations that focus on the value for the end user.

With the ViDaLa model as a tool-supported information design process, open research questions about the effective and efficient perception of information can be pursued with great ease. This semi-automatic design process offers possibilities to broaden the range of information design in the context of analytics and business intelligence. With the foundation of the current process model, the aim is to identify more criteria, methods, and techniques that can be integrated into the ViDaLa tools of the trade. Therefore, design and development of a concrete interface can be enhanced and the number of design iterations can be reduced. In addition, the software tools supporting the ViDaLa process model are subject to constant further development and maintenance. Ideally, the tools from specification to implementation form a toolchain that can be executed consecutively, by making the output of each tool or design step the input or starting environment for the next one.