Empirical Study on the Representation of 3D Scatterplots as 2D Figures

TL;DR

This study empirically evaluates how different 3D scatterplot representations as 2D figures affect readability and accuracy, providing evidence on effective visualization techniques.

Contribution

It offers quantifiable insights into the effectiveness of various 3D scatterplot features in 2D representations through an online survey.

Findings

Certain features improve reading time

Some feature combinations enhance accuracy

Visual cues significantly impact comprehension

Abstract

3D scatterplots are a well-established plotting technique that can be used to represent data with three or more dimensions. On paper and computer monitors they are essentially two-dimensional projections of the three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. This transition from the 3D space to two dimensions is not done consistently among scientific software, as there is currently limited quantifiable evidence on the effectiveness of each approach. Notably, the frequent lack of visual cues such as with regard to depth perception is equivalent to a reduction of dimensionality by one. Hence, their use in manuscripts is less common or straightforward. In this empirical study, an online survey is conducted within an academic institution to identify and quantify the effectiveness of feature or feature combinations on 3D scatterplots in terms of reading time and accuracy.