Human-centered approaches in geovisualization design: investigating multiple methods through a long-term case study.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Geographic Information Science
• Data Visualization

Background:

• Generic approaches often fail to elicit adequate requirements for geovisualization application design.
• Building trust and knowledge with domain collaborators is crucial for effective geovisualization development.
• Understanding the context of use and domain data is essential for successful geovisualization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate human-centered approaches for geovisualization design.
• To identify effective methods for requirement elicitation and collaboration in geovisualization projects.
• To explore the role of prototyping in bridging specialist and geovisualization domains.

Main Methods:

• A three-year case study involving three domain specialists.
• Application of ISO13407 human-centered design taxonomy.
• Utilizing contextual inquiry, real data, and various prototyping methods (wireframes, paper, digital).
• Incorporating autoethnography to frame the design process.

Main Results:

• Modified human-centered approaches, applied flexibly, are effective for geovisualization.
• Real data is critical for understanding user needs and design possibilities.
• Prototypes, especially paper and digital, facilitate communication and elicit novel requirements.
• Free exploration with digital prototypes is as effective as structured protocols.

Conclusions:

• Successful geovisualization design requires a shared understanding of context, data, and visualization capabilities.
• Early, collaborative engagement with data through simple visual artifacts and prototypes is highly beneficial.
• Flexible, modified human-centered approaches are most promising for geovisualization design.