University of Maryland

1. .gov University of Maryland • 1) Sonification of Maps • 2) Viewing Search Results with Stable Meaningful Hierarchies • 3) Narrated Demos • 4) Visualization for re-identifiability • Threads: Visualization Universal Usability

2. 1) Sonification of Maps One Challenge: use sound to present geographical data distribution patterns to visually impaired users Universal usability: avoid special devices

3. 1) Sonification of Maps • Goals: use non-speech audio to convey patterns in choropleth maps • Initial prototype • Two user studies (9 + 40 sighted users) • Work with 2 blind users • PhD work of Haixia Zhao • Collaborators: • Ben Smith & Kent Norman (Experiments, UMD) • Ramani Duraiswami & Dimitry Zotkin (Spatial sound production, UMD)

4. 1) Sonification of Maps • Goals: use non-speech audio to convey patterns in choropleth maps • Initial prototype • Two user studies (9 + 40 sighted users) • Work with 2 blind users • PhD work of Haixia Zhao • Zhao, et al. (2005), “Interactive Sonification of Choropleth Maps: Design and Evaluation”, to appear in IEEE Multimedia Special Issue on Interactive Sonification , Apr-Jun 2005 • Zhao et al. (2004), “Sonification of geo-referenced data for auditory information seeking: design principle and pilot study ”, in Proc. 10th Int’l Conference on Auditory Display, Sydney, Australia • Zhao et al. (2003), “Improving accessibility and usability of geo-referenced statistical data”, Proc. Digital Government Research Conference, March 2003, 147-155

5. Controlled Experiments • Subjects listened to and explored sonified data and select pattern among choices • Compared map vs. table • Compared 2 navigation methodsand 2 sound designs

6. Two Controlled Experiments • Tasks: listened to and explored sonified data and chose matching patterns from visual choices • Compared map vs. table • Compared 2 navigation methodsand 2 sound designs

7. Lessons and Insights • Perceptual ability • People were able to recognize patterns of 5-category data on a US state map, but… it was hard. • Designs • Data representation form needs to fit tasks • Interaction is important • Navigating irregularly shaped regions is a challenge • Training • Integrated training is needed • Observations and comments from two congenitally blind users show consistency with the experiment findings

8. New Prototype • 3 x 3 numeric key pad to explore in 3 x 3 sub-regions, recursively • Absolute pointing touch pad to explore continuously

9. Thesis Research • Part1: A taxonomy for interactive sonification of abstract data • Interaction components • Auditory Information Seeking Actions (AISA) • Part2: Explore design space for geo-referenced abstract data • Part3: Develop customizable user tool (InterSon)

10. Data presented as Abstract Objects Interaction Components Mental representation & navigation structures Auditory interface Auditory feedback (encoding) AISA: an interaction loop Input device Interaction command Kinesthetic feedback

11. Interactive Sonification Taxonomy Auditory Information Seeking Actions Interaction Components • Gist • Navigate, situate, search • Filter by query • Select • Details-on-demand • Linked brushing Abstract Object Navigation structure Input device & interaction command Auditory feedback

12. Future Work • Refine prototype / Test • Permit use of different maps • Training materials • Accessible control panels • Dissemination • In parallel, with support from other NSF grant, develop Spatial sound version with customized HRTF and head trackingas a longer term exploration of new sonification research.

13. 2) Viewing Search Results with Stable Meaningful Hierarchies • The challenge: Helping users understand search results • Navigational – “ebay” • Known item – “nowell visualizing search results” • Informational – “visualizing search results” • Exploratory – “breast cancer”

14. Exploratory Work Tasks • Exploring a topic • Writing a paper • Developing a lesson plan • “What information is available about…?” A journalist gathering background material to write a series of stories on obesity in the United States

15. Information Seeking Model • Understanding search results • Gaining overviews • Identifying unusual documents • Meaningful context

16. SWISH & Dyna-Cat

17. Honeycomb

18. Principles of search result visualization • Provide overview+detail display • 100-1000 items • Organize by meaningful, stable classifications • Provide example documents for each category • Use a stable visual substrate • Arrange important text (Title, Line-in-context) for fast scanning/skimming • Visually encode quantitative attributes • Support multiple, user-controlled classifications and visual displays

19. Exploratory Study • Domain: Government web pages • Two-level department/agency hierarchy • Dept. of the Interior / National Park Service • Legislative Branch / House of Representatives • Motivating scenario • Pre-computed results • Urban Sprawl • Breast cancer • Alternative Energy

23. Exploratory Study • Exploration sub-tasks • What agencies provide most results • Identify facets of topic • Find “unusual” results • Interface treatments • 2 overview • 1 control • 18 subjects • Think-aloud protocol

24. Confirmed Benefits of Overviews • Improved accuracy • Easier to use • More helpful • Users were more confident of their results • Gaining overviews • Finding different perspectives (All differences were significant)

25. Noticing Missing Results • Users noticed areas not covered by the search results • Overview conditions: 9 out of 12 • Control condition: 1 out of 6 “What I found informative was… what didn’t show up, which I wouldn’t know if the hierarchy wasn’t there.”

26. Other Findings • Importance of text • Users still scanned substantial amounts of text • Category information alone is not sufficient to help users gain an overview • Expandable outliner vs. treemap • No significant measured differences • More preferred expandable outliner

27. Limitations of Study • Government domain • Narrow tasks • Small hierarchy • Small sample size Recommendations • Develop clearer categories • Begin to integrate metatags • Implement category browsers in search results

28. 3) Narrated Demos(Recorded Animations/Videos) • Developed series of demonstrations • Developed set of Guidelines • Compared across Demos

29. Our impressions • Strong reduction in “how do I” questions • Positive feedback on the demos • Quantitative evaluation remains a challenge • Refining guidelines • Keeping examples of “bad” versions • Will continue to create examples for new interfaces

30. Script Guidelines • Base the script on a live demonstration (never on a written description) • Focus on tasks(not tours of widgets or conceptual overviews) • Act out the interaction (with minimum description) then describe results in context of task • Start with a tour of main screen components (orient and introduce vocabulary) 5-10 sec. max • Plan a linear sequences made of very short autonomous chunks (15-60 sec.) • Map the chunks to existing online documentation • Show text title at beginning of each chunk • Carefully synchronize voice and visual (hard when alone) • Provide duration and file size for individual chunk

31. Technical Guidelines • Avoid actual video recording, use on-screen recording of demonstration (generates much smaller files) • Make demonstration look as similar as possible to real interface (e.g. full screen size is better, crop only for readability, provide sound or visual effects for interaction events such as mouse clicks) • Provide navigation controls if chunk is longer than 10sec. (Stop, Play, >>, <<, Progress indicator) • Use voice of person who will be around for a while(i.e. plan for revisions) • Choose the minimum connection speed to design for, which sets max demo duration and file size • Provide sound transcripts and keep text descriptions (for deaf and blind users.)

32. Features Analysis of Demos • Reviewed Government and other narrated demos to compare length, style, quality

33. Features Analysis of Demos • Reviewed Government and other narrated demos to compare length, style, quality • Results– coming soon ---

34. Visualization for re-identifiability • Exposing identities from micro data • Find vulnerable targets in micro data • Find possible suspects in public data sources • Link and match to re-identify • IDFinder visualization system • Hyunmo Kang at Census Bureau