Design problems in engineering typically involve a large solution space and several potentially conflicting criteria. Selecting a compromise solution is often supported by optimization algorithms that compute hundreds of Pareto‐optimal solutions, thus informing a decision by the engineer. However, the complexity of evaluating and comparing alternatives increases with the number of criteria that need to be considered at the same time. We present a design study on Pareto front visualization to support engineers in applying their expertise and subjective preferences for selection of the most‐preferred solution. We provide a characterization of data and tasks from the parametric design of electric motors. The requirements identified were the basis for our development of PAVED, an interactive parallel coordinates visualization for exploration of multi‐criteria alternatives. We reflect on our user‐centered design process that included iterative refinement with real data in close collaboration with a domain expert as well as a summative evaluation in the field. The results suggest a high usability of our visualization as part of a real‐world engineering design workflow. Our lessons learned can serve as guidance to future visualization developers targeting multi‐criteria optimization problems in engineering design or alternative domains.
While domain characterization has become an integral part of visualization design studies, methodological prescriptions are rare. An underrepresented aspect in existing approaches is domain expertise. Knowledge elicitation methods from cognitive science might help but have not yet received much attention for domain characterization. We propose the Critical Decision Method (CDM) to the visualization domain to provide descriptive steps that open up a knowledge-based perspective on domain characterization. The CDM uses retrospective interviews to reveal expert judgment involved in a challenging situation. We apply it to study three domain problems, reflect on our practical experience, and discuss its relevance to domain characterization in visualization research. We found the CDM's realism and subjective nature to be well suited for eliciting cognitive aspects of high-level task performance. Our insights might guide other researchers in conducting domain characterization with a focus on domain knowledge and cognition. With our work, we hope to contribute to the portfolio of meaningful methods used to inform visualization design and to stimulate discussions regarding prescriptive steps for domain characterization.
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