Towards a Unifying and Accessible Data Perceptualisation Design Theory
To inform the design of visualisations, sonifications, data physicalisations and other multisensory interfaces, designers and researchers draw on insights, studies, resources and guidelines from a broad range of research disciplines. We have investigated opportunities and challenges of establishing a unified data perceptualisation design theory that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of existing subfields and theories, considering both current practices and future visions. To address current shortcomings in defining and documenting related work—issues that hinder accessibility—we present several contributions, including a refined definition of encoding channels, a data perceptualisation pipeline and a conceptual model for representing multisensory data mappings that accounts for situatedness, interaction style, intention and multisensory experience.
Publication Reference
Rossing, I.L. and Signer, B.: "Towards a Unifying and Accessible Data Perceptualisation Design Theory", Proceedings of NordiCHI 2026, Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Vaasa, Finland, October 2026
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