A classification of visual representations
Gerald L. Lohse, Kevin J. Biolsi, Neff Walker, Henry H. Rueter · Communications of the ACM · 1994
hy du we often prefer glancing at a graph to studying a table of numbers? What might be a better graphic than either a graph or table for seeing how a biological process unfolds with time? To begin to answer these kinds of questions we examine the cognitive structure of graphics and report a structural classification of visual representadnns. McCormick, DeFami, and Brown [16] define visualization as "the study of mechanisms in computers and in humans which allow them in concert to perceive, use, and communicate visual information." Thus, visualization includes the study of both image synthesis and image understanding. Given this broad focus, it is not surprising that visualization spans many academic disciplines, scientific fields, and multiple domains of inquiry. However, if visualization is to continue to advance as an interdisciplinary science, it must become more than a grab bag of techniques for displaying data. Our research focuses on classifying visual information. Classification lies at the heart of every scientific field. Classifications structure domains of systematic inquiry and provide concepu for developing theories to identify anomalies and to predict future research needs.