Reflection On Reflection In Design Study

TL;DR

This paper discusses the role and challenges of reflection in visualization design study research, based on a community panel and reflective analysis, aiming to clarify and prioritize reflection practices.

Contribution

It provides a structured discussion on reflection in design studies, highlighting gaps and proposing priorities for future research in visualization.

Findings

Identifies lack of guidance on reflection in design studies

Proposes priorities for understanding reflection in visualization research

Analyzes community perspectives through panel discussion

Abstract

Visualization design study research methodologies emphasize the need for reflection to generate knowledge. And yet, there is very little guidance in the literature specifying what reflection in the context of design studies actually involves. We initiated a community discussion on this topic through a panel at the 2017 IEEE VIS Conference - this report documents the panel discussion. We analyze the panel content through the lense of our own reflective experiences and propose several priorities for ongoing thinking on reflection in applied visualization research.