In current systems for browsing image collections, users are presented with sets of thumbnail images arranged in some default order on the screen. We are investigating whether it benefits users to have sets of thumbnails arranged according to their mutual similarity, so images that are alike are placed together. There are, of course, many possible definitions of "similarity": so far we have explored measurements based on low-level visual features, and on the textual captions assigned to the images. Here we describe two experiments, both involving designers as the participants, examining whether similarity-based arrangements of the candidate images are helpful for a picture selection task. Firstly, the two types of similarity-based arrangement were informally compared. Then, an arrangement based on visual similarity was more formally compared with a control of a random arrangement. We believe this work should be of interest to anyone designing a system that involves presenting sets of images to users. Keywords Image retrieval, information visualisation, evaluation.

The widespread use of information visualization is hampered by the lack of effective labeling techniques. A taxonomy of labeling methods is proposed. We then describe "excentric labeling", a new dynamic technique to label a neighborhood of objects located around the cursor. This technique does not intrude into the existing interaction, it is not computationally intensive, and was easily applied to several visualization applications. A pilot study indicates a strong speed benefit for tasks that involve the rapid exploration of large numbers of objects. KEYWORDS Visualization, Label, Dynamic labeling INTRODUCTION A major limiting factor to the widespread use of information visualization is the difficulty of labeling information abundant displays. Information visualization uses the powerful human visual abilities to extract meaning from graphical information [Card et al, 1998, Cleveland, 1993]. Color, size, shape position or orientation are mapped to data attributes. This visualization ...

This paper focuses on the representation and access of Web-based information, and how to make such a representation adapt to the activities or interests of individuals within a community of users. The heterogeneous mix of information on the Web restricts the coverage of traditional indexing techniques and so limits the power of search engines. In contrast to traditional methods, and in a way that extends collaborative filtering approaches, the path model centres representation on usage histories rather than content analysis. By putting activity at the centre of representation and not the periphery, the path model concentrates on the reader not the author and the browser not the site. We describe metrics of similarity based on the path model, and their application in a URL recommender tool and in visualising sets of URLs.

The Attribute Explorer is a visualization tool in which the graphical and interactive presentation of data supports the human acquisition of insight into that data. The underlying concept employed is that of interactive linked histograms. The advantage of the Attribute Explorer derives from its ability to support both qualitative exploration and quantitative design decisions, as well as a smooth transition

The Bead visualization system employs a fast algorithm for laying out high-dimensional data in a low-dimensional space, and a number of features added to 3D visualizations to improve imageability. Here we describe recent work on both aspects of the system, in particular a generalization of the data types laid out and the implementation of imageability features in a 2D visualization tool. The variety of data analyzed in a financial institution such as UBS, and the ubiquity of spreadsheets as a medium for analysis, led us to extend our layout tools to handle data in a generic spreadsheet format. We describe the metrics of similarity used for this data type, and give examples of layouts of sets of records of financial trades. Conservatism and scepticism with regard to 3D visualization, along with the lack of functionality of widely available 3D web browsers, led to the development of a 2D visualization tool with refinements of a number of our imageability features. 1 Introduction Bead i...

A number of three-dimensional information visualization designs have been invented during the last years. However, comparisons of such designs have been scarce, making it difficult for application developers to select a suitable design. This paper reports on acase study where three existing visualization designs have been implemented and evaluated. We found that the three information visualization designs have inherent problems when used for visualizing different data sets, and that certain tasks can not be supported by the designs. A general methodology for evaluation is presented, which comprises evaluation of suitability for different data sets as well as evaluation of support for user tasks.

Although the idea of reusing code is very appealing, effective reuse has long been acknowledged as a problem. To help address the difficulties, many advocate strong management commitment to code reuse, leading to the treatment of code as an asset to be carefully managed in a well-organized repository. However, the advent of the Web may bring a change to this outlook, encouraging informal, loosely-organized code repositories. Already, for both textual and visual languages, informal repositories are beginning to emerge, featuring a high rate of change and few controls over what a producer must do to submit code. In this paper, we present techniques to address some aspects of code reuse in this kind of informal, evolving environment. These techniques build upon characteristics found in many visual programming languages. Using these techniques, our approach is able to eliminate the special work traditionally required of the producer, while still supporting the consumer's reuse efforts with...

This paper introduces a new approach to provide users with solutions to explore a domain via an information space. A key point in our approach is that information searching and exploring takes place in a domaindependent semantic context. A given context is described through its vocabulary organised along hierarchies that structure the information space. These hierarchies are simplified views on a more complex domain specific ontology, that form a shared and coherent background knowledge representation. So the system benefits from the combination of two innovations that make the exploration of the document space more effective. First, hierarchies (extracted from the ontology) provide with a language and synthetic representation to be explored by the users to express their information need. Additionally, a visual interface presents answers to their queries using multi-dimensional analysis and a global visualisation of document collections. At both stages, ontology is the key structure that guides a meaningful browsing for query formulation and for the document set exploration.

There is still little knowledge about what factors are important for the usability of a 3D user interface. We have performed a comparative study of three 3D information visualizations as a step towards a better understanding of this. The study involved 25 volunteer subjects, performing three di#erent tasks with the Information Landscape, Cam Tree, and Information Cube. The results of the study indicate that the subjects were signi#cantly faster with the Information Landscape when compared with both other visualizations. The Cam Tree was signi#cantly faster than the Information Cube. Our observations during the study indicate that local and global overview are extremely important factors. We also observed that custom navigation is crucial in 3D user interfaces. Finally, the study raises the question: "For what types of tasks is a 3D user interfacebest suited?"

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