INTRODUCTION

Designing a data physicalization requires a myriad of different considerations. Despite the cross-disciplinary nature of these considerations, research currently lacks a synthesis across the different communities data physicalization sits upon, including their approaches, theories, and even terminologies. To bridge these communities synergistically, we present a design space that describes and analyzes physicalizations according to three facets: context (end-user considerations), structure (the physical structure of the artifact), and interactions (interactions with both the artifact and data). We construct this design space through a systematic review of 47 physicalizations and analyze the interrelationships of key factors when designing a physicalization. This design space cross- pollinates knowledge from relevant HCI communities, providing a cohesive overview of what designers should consider when creating a data physicalization while suggesting new design possibilities. We analyze the design decisions present in current physicalizations, discuss emerging trends, and identify underlying open challenges.

This web gallery is a supplement to the survey results (figure down below) discussed in the paper.

Table matrix with 47 rows and three main columns: Context, Structure, Interactions. For each row, each column is colored in if it fulfills the coding critiera.

HOW TO CITE

S.S. Bae, C. Zheng, M.E. West, E. Do, S. Huron, and D. Szafir."Making Data Tangible: A Cross-disciplinary Design Space for Data Physicalization". In: Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. New Orleans, Louisana, 2022.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

Codebook Definitions [download]

Coding Sheet [download]

NOTES

The number of paper matches for certain data interactions (i.e., explore, abstract, and encode) will differ from Figure 1 in the paper and the website gallery. Certain physicalizations showcased multiple ways to express one data interaction (e.g., Robographics by Guinness et al., 2019 had two distinct methods for Abstract/Elaborate), which is not accounted for in the website gallery. For more information, please refer to the coding sheet (Tab: Interactions).

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