Visual displays of information: A conceptual taxonomy

This paper creates a taxonomic model for visual information displays lookin g at three levels: information design (based on Edward Tufte's work), infor mation architecture, and information spaces. Special attention is paid to t he use of spatial and navigational metaphors in visual systems as they affe ct the user's experience. Especially interesting is how a user creates an " information space" - a mental model of what he has seen, how she keeps trac k of where she is within a system, and how these activities fit together wi th the data that is being sought. Mathematics is one area that holds promis e for better understanding how people visualise information spaces. Vague t erms like space, shape, and distance (all implied by the navigation metapho r) have far more refined conceptualisations within mathematics. By harnessi ng the descriptive powers of mathematics, we can more aptly describe and un derstand the process of metaphor creation. Secondly, studying comic books a nd how they are read (McCloud 1993) holds much promise for understanding ho w people navigate electronic systems. Comics are 2-D sequentially arranged (or at least juxtaposed) combinations of images and text, much like compute r screens. People used to reading such visual constructions are better able to navigate through complex information systems. Finally, the use of spati al or navigational metaphors necessarily implies a temporal dimension as we ll, which leads to certain subtle, but important differences when comparing navigation through electronic environments as opposed to real world ones.