Interaction plays a crucial role in Data Visualization

In last exercise, we introduced interactivity in our visualization by creating parameters, applying filters, creating sets, calculated fields etc. We had different approaches to make it interactive in what sense. I found this article and would like to share some useful ways in which interactions can be used.

1. Highlighting and Details on demand: Making use of highlights helps user to focus on important part of the visualization. Instead of including all information at once you can allow audience to choose and get details of their interest.

2. User-driven Content Selection: With interactive visualization you give user an ability to change the content and drill down to grab relative information. Such a configurable visualization becomes the template through which different structurally similar data sets are displayed, and additional controls allow the user to change what data gets displayed. When used in such a manner, an interactive visualization can make a much larger data set accessible than a comparable static graphic.

3. Multiple Coordinated Visualization: When you use single graphical representation, it limits number of dimensions. For example, maps emphasize geographic location and timelines the flow of time. Those commonly used representations also often have well-known interactions such as pan and zoom for maps. By assembling multiple standard parts and coordinating them, you can show different aspects of the data set at the same time. Also using appropriate filters user can understand relationships among the data.

4. User-driven Visual Mapping Changes: You can improve the interactivity by showing data in different ways. Allowing the user to reconfigure the mappings from data to visual form (visual mappings) for a fixed visualization type is an alternative that can help in maximizing the visualization size.

5. Integrating User’s Viewpoint and Opinions: In interactive visualizations, you can allow users to enter their opinions and improve their satisfaction with the visual.

Please visit the following website and get better understanding with the given examples.

Source: http://www.scribblelive.com/blog/2012/08/06/interaction-design-for-data-visualizations/