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We discuss the evolution of the NIST Information Retrieval Visualization Engine (NIRVE). This prototype employs modern interactive visualization techniques to provide easier access to a set of documents resulting from a query to a search engine. The motivation and evaluation of several design features, such as keyword to concept mapping, explicit clustering, the use of 3-D vs. 2-D, and the relationship of visualization to logical structure are described. In particular, the results of an extensive usability experiment show how visualization may lead to either increased or decreased cognitive load. Background and MotivationFor the past four years, the Information Technology Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has supported a small project1'2 to explore the potential value of visualization for information access. In particular, we were interested in exploiting 3-D technology to help users understand and manipulate search results, i.e. the set of documents returned by a search engine in response to some query.There have been some attempts to provide an overview of the design space3'4'5 for information visualization. These offer a top-down framework within which particular visualizations may be categorized. As opposed to a "unified field theory" of information visualization design, this paper takes a bottom-up approach: we present a case study of iterative design, from which some familiar and some novel lessons emerged. We hope that this detailed critique of various prototypes can serve as a guide to other researchers who wish to do meaningful test and evaluation of new approaches to document visualization.

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