What is Visualization for Communication? Analyzing Four Years of VisComm Papers

TL;DR

This paper analyzes four years of VisComm conference papers to understand how visualization is defined and used for communication, highlighting themes and gaps, especially in diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

Contribution

It provides a grounded theory-based analysis of VisComm papers, clarifying definitions, themes, and identifying gaps in DEI practices within visualization for communication.

Findings

Identification of common themes in VisComm papers

Nuances in how visualization for communication is defined

A noticeable gap in DEI practices

Abstract

With the introduction of the Visualization for Communication workshop (VisComm) at IEEE VIS and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been renewed interest in studying visualization as a medium of communication. However the characteristics and definition of this line of study tend to vary from paper to paper and person to person. In this work, we examine the 37 papers accepted to VisComm from 2018 through 2022. Using grounded theory we identify nuances in how VisComm defines visualization, common themes in the work in this area, and a noticeable gap in DEI practices.