Browsing through 3D representations of unstructured picture collections: an empirical study

TL;DR

This study introduces a 3D interactive visualization for large picture collections, comparing view manipulation and immersion strategies through an empirical user study to evaluate usability and preferences.

Contribution

It provides an empirical comparison of two visualization strategies for 3D picture browsing, highlighting user preferences and influencing factors.

Findings

7 participants preferred immersive view (IV)

4 participants preferred overview (OV) view

Visual strategies influenced preferences more than task performance

Abstract

The paper presents a 3D interactive representation of fairly large picture collections which facilitates browsing through unstructured sets of icons or pictures. Implementation of this representation implies choosing between two visualization strategies: users may either manipulate the view (OV) or be immersed in it (IV). The paper first presents this representation, then describes an empirical study (17 participants) aimed at assessing the utility and usability of each view. Subjective judgements in questionnaires and debriefings were varied: 7 participants preferred the IV view, 4 the OV one, and 6 could not choose between the two. Visual acuity and visual exploration strategies seem to have exerted a greater influence on participants' preferences than task performance or feeling of immersion.