Connecting The Dots

Relationships are omnipresent in data, views and in how we interact with visualization tools. This tutorial discusses how such relationships can be visually expressed, a process we call linking. The tutorial addresses the three questions, what, how and when to link in three separate parts. The first part - what to link - explains that not only data, but also views and interactions can be linked. The second part - how to link - discusses how relationships can be visually expressed, based on perceptual grouping principles. While we discuss a wide range of methods, we focus on the connectedness grouping principle, specifically on visual links, as it is the most powerful in some respects, but also the most difficult to employ. The final part - when to link - will give an introduction to scenarios where linking is beneficial, taking into account issues such as unconventional display devices and collaboration.

Slide Deck

Part 0 - Introduction: PPTX (12 MByte) - PDF (6 MByte)
Part 1 - What to link? PPTX (8 MByte) - PDF (4 MByte)
Part 2 - How to link? PPTX (32 MByte) - PDF (13 MByte)
Part 3 - When to link?: PPTX (46 MByte) - PDF (12 MByte)