Implementation Experience

Abstract

The Visualization Spreadsheet was inspired by observing the success of a powerful concept—the spreadsheet. The invention of the VisiCalc numerical spreadsheet in 1979 enabled ordinary computer users to handle complex mathematical and statistical analysis and fueled the adoption of personal computers. Spreadsheets have proven to be highly successful tools for interacting with numerical data with numerous advantages. Users can easily organize large groups of numbers in cells arranged in tabular form, apply algebraic operations to cells, manipulating rows and columns of data simultaneously. Users can directly manipulate the numbers. Spreadsheets is useful as an end-user programming tool, especially in enabling user to define data dependencies and kept up-to-date automatically. These advantages enable users to explore “what-if” scenarios rapidly.

Graphics is progressing even farther by giving a visible form to research and methodology.

Jacques Bertin [15, p. 265]