Interactivity Factors in Visualization-Based Exploratory Search

Two of the main components of visualizations are representation and interaction. Several researchers have noted that the interaction component has been receiving less attention than the visual (representation) component. It was also noted by several researchers that there is currently no well-developed theoretical base for interaction research in information visualization. A number of important contributions to this problem were made, resulting in different frameworks that aimed to deal with various aspects of interaction design, such as benefits, costs, and techniques, to name a few. Despite the contributions and findings, the interactivity factors of diversity, complementarity, and fitness are still relatively unexplored, and it is not clear how many different interactions a visualization should support, which interactions work well together and which do not, and which interactions should be used for which contexts, tasks, or users. This study aims to contribute to the interaction research in information visualization by exploring user preference for interactivity factors in the context of performing different tasks. This can suggest and provide insights about general interactivity for certain tasks in exploratory search contexts. A qualitative study was conducted to explore user perception of the interactivity factors when working with visualizations of search results in an exploratory, medical, or health related context