Towards Measuring Interactive Visualization Abilities: Connecting With Existing Literacies and Assessments

TL;DR

This paper discusses the need for formal methods to assess individuals' abilities to interact effectively with data visualizations, extending beyond static visualization literacy tests.

Contribution

It proposes and compares different approaches for assessing interactive visualization abilities, connecting literacy concepts with assessment methods.

Findings

Current tests focus only on static visualizations.

There is a lack of formal assessment methods for interactive visualization skills.

The paper suggests new approaches for evaluating interactive visualization abilities.

Abstract

How do we assess people's abilities to interact with data visualizations? The current state-of-the-art visualization literacy tests -- such as VLAT and its derivatives -- only involve the use of static visualizations. Despite advances in investigating multiple visualization abilities, we do not yet have formal methods to assess the ability of a person to interact with a data visualization effectively. In this position paper, we discuss related literacy concepts and assessments to propose and compare different approaches for assessing the abilities that people leverage to use visualizations in interactive sensemaking tasks.