Data Visualization Practitioners' Perspectives on Chartjunk

TL;DR

This study explores data visualization practitioners' perspectives on chartjunk, revealing diverse understandings and factors influencing its use, emphasizing the importance of practice-led research to better grasp its role in visualization design.

Contribution

The paper provides empirical insights into practitioners' interpretations of chartjunk and highlights the influence of personal and contextual factors on its application.

Findings

Practitioners have diverse views on chartjunk.

Personal and situational factors influence embellishment choices.

Need for more practice-led research on visualization concepts.

Abstract

Chartjunk is a popular yet contentious topic. Previous studies have shown that extreme minimalism is not always best, and that visual embellishments can be useful depending on the context. While more knowledge is being developed regarding the effects of embellishments on users, less attention has been given to the perspectives of practitioners regarding how they design with embellishments. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 data visualization practitioners, investigating how they understand chartjunk and the factors that influence how and when they make use of embellishments. Our investigation uncovers a broad and pluralistic understanding of chartjunk among practitioners, and foregrounds a variety of personal and situated factors that influence the use of chartjunk beyond context. We highlight the personal nature of design practice, and discuss the need for more practice-led research to better understand the ways in which concepts like chartjunk are interpreted and used by practitioners.