A domain specific language for data-centric infographics: technical report

TL;DR

This paper introduces a domain-specific language for modeling data-centric infographics, enabling automatic generation and evaluation of visual attractiveness, addressing software disconnection issues in infographic production.

Contribution

It presents a novel DSL and interpreter for infographics, based on analysis of existing infographics and tools, improving automation and consistency in infographic creation.

Findings

Generated infographics are as visually attractive as original ones.

Participants often cannot distinguish generated infographics from original.

The DSL facilitates automated infographic production.

Abstract

The production process of data-centric infographics entails problems related to a disconnection between the supporting software environments. We investigate those problems and redesigns this process following the model-driven paradigm. We have designed a domain-specific language to model infographics, and implemented an interpreter that generates the infographics automatically. To inform the engineering of the DSL and interpreter, we have analysed 58 infographics reporting on ethical, social and environmental accounting, and 10 infographic design tools. We then have tested our proposal by means of modelling a sample of 10 infographics and generating them. We have also conducted a controlled experiment to assess the extent to which the generated infograhics are as visually attractive as the original ones and whether the participants can identify whether the infographic they see is original or generated. This report provides the details of this research project: conceptual model, collected data, analysis, and supporting instruments.