Perception! Immersion! Empowerment! Superpowers as Inspiration for Visualization

TL;DR

This paper uses the concept of fictional superpowers to analyze and inspire visualization systems that empower users and enhance perception, proposing frameworks to characterize and develop such empowering visualizations.

Contribution

It introduces two frameworks linking superpowers in fiction to visualization mechanisms and empowerment strategies, guiding the creation of novel, empowering visualization tools.

Findings

Seven visualization mechanisms inspired by superpowers

Seven empowerment strategies for visualization tools

Examples of visualization superpowers and design opportunities

Abstract

We explore how the lens of fictional superpowers can help characterize how visualizations empower people and provide inspiration for new visualization systems. Researchers and practitioners often tout visualizations' ability to "make the invisible visible" and to "enhance cognitive abilities." Meanwhile superhero comics and other modern fiction often depict characters with similarly fantastic abilities that allow them to see and interpret the world in ways that transcend traditional human perception. We investigate the intersection of these domains, and show how the language of superpowers can be used to characterize existing visualization systems and suggest opportunities for new and empowering ones. We introduce two frameworks: The first characterizes seven underlying mechanisms that form the basis for a variety of visual superpowers portrayed in fiction. The second identifies seven ways in which visualization tools and interfaces can instill a sense of empowerment in the people who use them. Building on these observations, we illustrate a diverse set of "visualization superpowers" and highlight opportunities for the visualization community to create new systems and interactions that empower new experiences with data.