Reading Traces: Scalable Exploration in Elastic Visualizations of Cultural Heritage Data

Abstract

Through a design study, we develop an approach to data exploration that utilizes elastic visualizations designed to support varying degrees of detail and abstraction. Examining the notions of scalability and elasticity in interactive visualizations, we introduce a visualization of personal reading traces such as marginalia or markings inside the reference library of German realist author Theodor Fontane. To explore such a rich and extensive collection, meaningful visual forms of abstraction and detail are as important as the transitions between those states. Following a growing research interest in the role of fluid interactivity and animations between views, we are particularly interested in the potential of carefully designed transitions and consistent representations across scales. The resulting prototype addresses humanistic research questions about the interplay of distant and close reading with visualization research on continuous navigation along several granularity levels, using scrolling as one of the main interaction mechanisms. In addition to presenting the design process and resulting prototype, we present findings from a qualitative evaluation of the tool, which suggest that bridging between distant and close views can enhance exploration, but that transitions between views need to be crafted very carefully to facilitate comprehension.

Unfolding Edges: Adding Context to Edges in Multivariate Graph Visualization

“…While they may have negative effects on working memory loads, studies often report animations to be considered more enjoyable [FPS * 21]. Although there is still limited conclusive evidence on whether animated transitions facilitate or hinder comprehension [FPS * 21], researchers also observed positive effects of transitions between views to convey meaning, explain operations on the data, or provide coherence between views [KCH19,HR07,BBBD20]. For our unfolding of edges, we consider transitions as a possibility to create engaging, cohesive graph visualizations with fluid interaction [EMJ * 11].…”

“…We are especially inspired by the notion of ‘fluid interaction’ suggesting that in‐situ representation changes stimulate open‐ended and engaging flow experiences by making use of direct manipulation and animated transitions between views [EMJ * 11]. Such transitioned representations for the exploration of complex multivariate data have been characterized as flexible, elastic, and ‘folded’ spaces whose elements can be dynamically manipulated inside a given layout [BBD20, BBBD20, TAA * 21]. Following this line of research, we developed the concept of unfolding edges.…”

CorpusVis: Visual Analysis of Digital Sheet Music Collections

“…Jänicke et al discuss many digital humanities projects that require text processing methods [JFCS17] while Kirschenbaum also confirms the essentiality of text for humanities research ranging from close via not‐reading to distant reading [Kir07]. For example, Bludeau et al implemented a web‐based prototype to enable the visual investigation of literature and handwritten notes from Fontane's Handbibliothek [BBBD20]. For instance, the field of text analysis deals with comparison tasks for plagiarism detection by identifying typical features for specific authors [GMB∗14].…”

CorpusVis: Visual Analysis of Digital Sheet Music Collections

“…Jänicke et al discuss many digital humanities projects that require text pro-cessing methods [JFCS17] while Kirschenbaum also confirms the essentiality of text for humanities research ranging from close via not-reading to distant reading [Kir07]. For example, Bludeau et al implemented a web-based prototype to enable the visual investigation of literature and handwritten notes from Fontane's Handbibliothek [BBBD20]. For instance, the field of text analysis deals with comparison tasks for plagiarism detection by identifying typical features for specific authors [GMB * 14].…”