Exploratory visualization using bracketing

Abstract

There are many tools that provide the user with an abundance of sliders, buttons and options to change; such tools are popular in exploratory visualization. As the user changes the parameters so the display dynamically updates and responds appropriately to changes made. These multiparameter systems can be difficult to use, as the user is often unaware of the outcome of any action before it occurs. Specifically it may be unclear whether to increase or decrease a parameter value to get a desired result. Multiple view systems can help, as the user can try out various scenarios and compare the results side-by-side, although if unrestricted the user may be swamped by numerous and often unnecessary views. In this paper we present the novel idea of 'bracketing', where a principal view is supported with two additional views from slightly different parameterizations. The idea is inspired by exposure bracketing in photography. This provides a middle ground: it offers a way to see adjacent-parameterizations, while allowing yet restraining multiple views. Moreover, we demonstrate how bracketing can be exploited in many applications and used in various ways (within parameter, visual and temporal domains).