Exploring How Personality Models Information Visualization Preferences

TL;DR

This study investigates how personality traits influence user preferences for different information visualization idioms, highlighting the importance of considering individual differences in visualization design.

Contribution

It provides an exploratory analysis linking Five-Factor Model traits and Locus of Control dimensions to visualization preferences, revealing specific personality influences.

Findings

Neuroticism and Openness affect hierarchy and evolution preferences.

Personality traits correlate with specific visualization idiom choices.

Personality-based clustering reveals distinct preference groups.

Abstract

Recent research on information visualization has shown how individual differences act as a mediator on how users interact with visualization systems. We focus our exploratory study on whether personality has an effect on user preferences regarding idioms used for hierarchy, evolution over time, and comparison contexts. Specifically, we leverage all personality variables from the Five-Factor Model and the three dimensions from Locus of Control (LoC) with correlation and clustering approaches. The correlation-based method suggested that Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, several facets from each trait, and the External dimensions from LoC mediate how much individuals prefer certain idioms. In addition, our results from the cluster-based analysis showed that Neuroticism, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and all dimensions from LoC have an effect on preferences for idioms in hierarchy and evolution contexts. Our results support the incorporation of in-depth personality synergies with InfoVis into the design pipeline of visualization systems.