Creation and Collaboration: Engaging New Audiences for Information Visualization - Information Visualization: Human-Centered Issues and Perspectives - page 107

system supports multi-user input, the access to a shared visualization and data set
has to be coordinated. Also, synchronous interactions on a single representation
may require the design and implementation of new types of multi-focus visualiza-
tions. Ryall et al. [77] have examined the problem of personalization of parameter
changes for widget design, allowing widgets to be dynamically adapted for indi-
viduals within a group. Similar ideas could be implemented for personalization of
information visualizations during collaborative work.
Resolution: Resolution is an issue both for the output (the display) and for the
input. The display resolution has a great influence on the legibility of information
visualizations. Large display technology currently often suffers from relatively
low display resolution so that visualizations might have to be re-designed so that
readability of text, color, and size not affected by display resolution. Also, large
interactive displays are often operated using fingers or pens which have a rather
low input resolution. Since information visualizations often display large data
sets with many relatively small items, the question of how to select these small
items using low input resolution techniques becomes an additional challenge that
needs special attention [48].
3.3 Creating a Collaborative Environment
The key characteristics of co-located synchronous interactions as described by
Olson and Olson [70] will apply to information visualization scenarios designed
to support co-located collaboration. These characteristics include: a shared local
context in which participants can interact with work objects, rapid feedback,
and multiple channel information exchange (voice, gesture, etc.), and visibility
of others' actions. These characteristics are further specified in the mechanics of
collaboration [73], which describe basic operations of teamwork, or small scale
actions and interactions that help people solve a task as a team. These mechan-
ics apply to a variety of group and task settings. This section is discussed under
the two major groupings of the mechanics of collaboration—communication and
coordination—and under those issues relating to supporting varying collabora-
tion styles.
Communication: Communication is an important part of successful collab-
orations. People need to be able to trigger conversations, communicate their
intentions, indicate a need to share a visualization, and to be generally aware
of their team members' actions. Group members need to be informed that some
parameter of a shared display might have changed while they were busy working
with an information visualization in a different part of the workspace. There has
been considerable discourse on the importance of all team members being aware
of all other team members' actions. Pinelle et al. [73] make a distinction between
explicit and implicit communications. The design of support techniques for both
types of communication needs to respect common social and work protocols [70].
For example, the interface should not require a group member to reach into or
across another person's workspace in order to acquire or share visualizations or
controls.