The notion of overview in information visualization

Kasper Hornbæk, Morten Hertzum

52 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Overview is a frequently used notion and design goal in information-visualization research and practice. However, it is difficult to find a consensus on what an overview is and to appreciate its relation to how users understand and navigate an information space. We review papers that use the notion of overview and develop a model. The model highlights the awareness that makes up an overview, the process by which users acquire it, the usefulness of overviews, and the role of user-interface components in developing an overview. We discuss the model in relation to classic readings in information visualization and use it to generate recommendations for future research.


Original languageEnglish
JournalInternational Journal of Human-Computer Studies
Volume69
Issue number7-8
Pages (from-to)509-525
Number of pages17
ISSN1071-5819
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2011

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