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What Is Visualization Really For?

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The Philosophy of Information Quality

Part of the book series: Synthese Library ((SYLI,volume 358))

Abstract

Whenever a visualization researcher is asked about the purpose of visualization, the phrase “gaining insight” by and large pops out instinctively. However, it is not absolutely factual that all uses of visualization are for gaining a deep understanding, unless the term insight is broadened to encompass all types of thought. Even when insight is the focus of a visualization task, it is rather difficult to know what insight is gained, how much, or how accurate. In this paper, we propose that “saving time” in accomplishing a user’s task is the most fundamental objective. By giving emphasis to “saving time”, we can establish a concrete metric, alleviate unnecessary contention caused by different interpretations of insight, and stimulate new research efforts in some aspects of visualization, such as empirical studies, design optimization and theories of visualization.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Min Chen

  2. Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, 1 St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3JS, UK

    Luciano Floridi

  3. Swansea University, Swansea, UK

    Rita Borgo

Authors
  1. Min Chen
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  2. Luciano Floridi
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  3. Rita Borgo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Min Chen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK

    Luciano Floridi

  2. Department of Science and Technology Studies, University College London, London, UK

    Phyllis Illari

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Chen, M., Floridi, L., Borgo, R. (2014). What Is Visualization Really For?. In: Floridi, L., Illari, P. (eds) The Philosophy of Information Quality. Synthese Library, vol 358. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07121-3_5

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