A Novel Interface for Information Exploration and Visualisation

Abstract

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the design, implementation, and evaluation of a graphical user interface prototype, called InfoVis, for direct manipulation of databases. This prototype information exploration and visualization interface allows users to explore a database with graphical widgets such as a novel dynamic slider. Specifically, the InfoVis interface enables the user to search a database without the need to create or formulate complex syntactical query statements. The dynamic slider and other widgets are utilized to assist users in mental visualization and representation of objects and actions. A pilot empirical study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the InfoVis interface prototype. The primary results suggest that subjects who used the InfoVis interface performed at a higher level than their counterparts who did not use InfoVis interface.