Interactivity in Visual Analytics: Use of Conceptual Frameworks to Support Human-Centered Design of a Decision-Support Tool

Visual analytics (VA) combines the strengths of humans and computers such that joint cognitive systems are formed. To be effective, a VA tool should be designed such that the component parts of the whole system are strongly coupled and function in a harmonious fashion. These components include cognitive and perceptual issues, tasks, algorithms, data models, and other aspects of the systems that contribute to its overall efficacy. The quality of interaction among all of these components can be referred to as interactivity. In the existing visualization literature, not enough focus has been placed on developing our understanding of human-centered aspects of interactivity. We have recently developed some conceptual frameworks to inform and guide the design of visual analytics tools in a systematic, human-centered fashion. In this paper, we describe the design of a tool that supports decision-making and other complex cognitive activities. We discuss how the conceptual frameworks supported systematic design and coherent thinking about the interactivity of the tool. We also discuss some extensions of interactivity into important areas of concern for visual analytics tools.