Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
J Med Internet Res. 2024 Nov 20;26:e58088. doi: 10.2196/58088.
With the extensive volume of information from various and diverse data sources, it is essential to present information in a way that allows for quick understanding and interpretation. This is particularly crucial in health care, where timely insights into a patient's condition can be lifesaving. Holistic visualizations that integrate multiple data variables into a single visual representation can enhance rapid situational awareness and support informed decision-making. However, despite the existence of numerous guidelines for different types of visualizations, this study reveals that there are currently no specific guidelines or principles for designing holistic integrated information visualizations that enable quick processing and comprehensive understanding of multidimensional data in time-critical contexts. Addressing this gap is essential for enhancing decision-making in time-critical scenarios across various domains, particularly in health care.
This study aims to establish a theoretical foundation supporting the argument that holistic integrated visualizations are a distinct type of visualization for time-critical contexts and identify applicable design principles and guidelines that can be used to design for such cases.
We systematically searched the literature for peer-reviewed research on visualization strategies, guidelines, and taxonomies. The literature selection followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The search was conducted across 6 databases: ACM Digital Library, Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The search was conducted up to August 2024 using the terms ("visualisations" OR "visualizations") AND ("guidelines" OR "taxonomy" OR "taxonomies"), with studies restricted to the English language.
Of 936 papers, 46 (4.9%) were included in the final review. In total, 48% (22/46) related to providing a holistic understanding and overview of multidimensional data; 28% (13/46) focused on integrated presentation, that is, integrating or combining multidimensional data into a single visual representation; and 35% (16/46) pertained to time and designing for rapid information processing. In total, 65% (30/46) of the papers presented general information visualization or visual communication guidelines and principles. No specific guidelines or principles were found that addressed all the characteristics of holistic, integrated visualizations in time-critical contexts. A summary of the key guidelines and principles from the 46 papers was extracted, collated, and categorized into 60 guidelines that could aid in designing holistic integrated visualizations. These were grouped according to different characteristics identified in the systematic review (eg, gestalt principles, reduction, organization, abstraction, and task complexity) and further condensed into 5 main proposed guidelines.
Holistic integrated information visualizations in time-critical domains are a unique use case requiring a unique set of design guidelines. Our proposed 5 main guidelines, derived from existing design theories and guidelines, can serve as a starting point to enable both holistic and rapid processing of information, facilitating better-informed decisions in time-critical contexts.
随着来自各种不同数据源的信息量的增加，以允许快速理解和解释的方式呈现信息是至关重要的。在医疗保健领域，及时了解患者的病情尤为关键，因为这可能关系到患者的生命。将多个数据变量集成到单个可视化表示中的整体可视化可以增强快速态势感知能力，并支持做出明智的决策。然而，尽管存在许多针对不同类型可视化的指南，但本研究表明，目前尚无针对能够在时间关键型环境中快速处理和全面理解多维数据的整体集成信息可视化设计的特定指南或原则。解决这一差距对于增强各个领域时间关键型场景下的决策制定至关重要，特别是在医疗保健领域。
本研究旨在为整体集成可视化是时间关键型环境中的一种独特类型的可视化这一论点提供理论依据，并确定可用于此类情况设计的适用设计原则和指南。
我们系统地搜索了同行评议的可视化策略、指南和分类法研究文献。文献选择遵循 PRISMA（系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目）指南。搜索在 6 个数据库中进行：ACM 数字图书馆、Google Scholar、IEEE Xplore、PubMed、Scopus 和 Web of Science。使用术语（"visualisations"或"visualizations"）和（"guidelines"或"taxonomy"或"taxonomies"），对截至 2024 年 8 月的文献进行了搜索，研究仅限于英语。
在 936 篇论文中，有 46 篇（4.9%）最终被纳入综述。总的来说，48%（22/46）的论文涉及提供对多维数据的整体理解和概述；28%（13/46）侧重于集成表示，即将多维数据集成或组合到单个可视化表示中；35%（16/46）涉及时间和快速信息处理的设计。总的来说，65%（30/46）的论文介绍了一般信息可视化或视觉传达的指南和原则。没有发现专门针对时间关键型环境中整体、集成可视化的所有特征的具体指南或原则。从 46 篇论文中提取、整理和分类了 60 条关键指南，并将其归入 6 条主要建议中。这些指南根据系统评价中确定的不同特征（例如，格式塔原则、简化、组织、抽象和任务复杂性）进行分组，并进一步浓缩为 5 条主要建议。
时间关键型领域的整体集成信息可视化是一种独特的用例，需要一套独特的设计指南。我们提出的 5 条主要建议源自现有的设计理论和指南，可以作为一个起点，实现信息的整体和快速处理，促进在时间关键型环境中做出更明智的决策。
