University of Michigan, USA.
IEEE Trans Vis Comput Graph. 2011 Dec;17(12):2231-40. doi: 10.1109/TVCG.2011.255.
Narrative visualizations combine conventions of communicative and exploratory information visualization to convey an intended story. We demonstrate visualization rhetoric as an analytical framework for understanding how design techniques that prioritize particular interpretations in visualizations that "tell a story" can significantly affect end-user interpretation. We draw a parallel between narrative visualization interpretation and evidence from framing studies in political messaging, decision-making, and literary studies. Devices for understanding the rhetorical nature of narrative information visualizations are presented, informed by the rigorous application of concepts from critical theory, semiotics, journalism, and political theory. We draw attention to how design tactics represent additions or omissions of information at various levels-the data, visual representation, textual annotations, and interactivity-and how visualizations denote and connote phenomena with reference to unstated viewing conventions and codes. Classes of rhetorical techniques identified via a systematic analysis of recent narrative visualizations are presented, and characterized according to their rhetorical contribution to the visualization. We describe how designers and researchers can benefit from the potentially positive aspects of visualization rhetoric in designing engaging, layered narrative visualizations and how our framework can shed light on how a visualization design prioritizes specific interpretations. We identify areas where future inquiry into visualization rhetoric can improve understanding of visualization interpretation.
叙述性可视化将交流和探索性信息可视化的惯例结合起来，以传达预期的故事。我们展示了可视化修辞作为分析框架，用于理解在“讲故事”的可视化中优先考虑特定解释的设计技术如何显著影响最终用户的解释。我们将叙述性可视化解释与政治信息传达、决策和文学研究中的框架研究证据进行了类比。展示了用于理解叙述性信息可视化修辞性质的工具，这些工具的信息来源于批判性理论、符号学、新闻学和政治理论概念的严格应用。我们注意到设计策略如何在各个层面上表示信息的添加或省略——数据、视觉表示、文本注释和交互性——以及可视化如何通过参考未说明的观察约定和代码来表示和暗示现象。通过对最近的叙述性可视化进行系统分析，确定了修辞技巧的类别，并根据它们对可视化的修辞贡献进行了描述。我们描述了设计师和研究人员如何从可视化修辞的潜在积极方面中受益，设计引人入胜、分层叙述性可视化，以及我们的框架如何阐明可视化设计如何优先考虑特定解释。我们确定了未来对可视化修辞进行研究可以提高对可视化解释理解的领域。
