Module 3 - Principle and Guidelines/Rule of Thumb

Question 1

Gestalt Principles (V1)

Answer 1

How human perception groups elements,
sees patterns, and simplifies information

1. Principle of Proximity
2. Principle of Similarity
3. Principle of Common Region
4. Principle of Good Figure
5. Principle of Closure
6. Principle of Continuity
7. Principle of Figure/Ground

Question 2

Principle of Good Figure (V1)

Answer 2

Objects grouped together tend to
be perceived as a single figure

Question 3

Principle of Closure - Reification (V1)

Answer 3

We complete missing parts of figures

Question 4

Principle of Continuity (V1)

Answer 4

We tend to form and group
continuous lines from individual pieces

Question 5

Principle of Figure/Ground (Multi-stability) (V1)

Answer 5

We see depending on our perception
of figure or background.

Question 6

Tufte’s Principles (V1)

Answer 6

Principles for making graphical designs and visualisations

1. Graphical Integrity
   - Missing scales
   - Scale distortion
   - Missing values/context
2. Design Principles
   - Maximise data ink ratio (less is better, simplify visualisation)
   Data Ink/Total Ink used in infographic

• Remove redundancy

Question 7

Dangers of 3D (V2)

Answer 7

We don’t actually see 3D, we see 2.05D
- perception distortion
- occlusion
- poor depth perception

Question 8

Difficulties of 3D (V2)

Answer 8

1. Occlusion
2. Interaction Complexity
3. Difficult text legibility
4. Perspective Distortion

Question 9

Suitable transformation from 3D (V2)

Answer 9

Cluseters, Multiple views

Question 10

Dangers of Depth/3D (V2)

Answer 10

1. occlusion
2. poor depth perception
3. perspective distortion

Question 11

Resolution beats Immersion (V2)

Answer 11

Resolution much more important (pixels scarcest
resource)

Virtual Reality - Immersion
For non-spatial data very difficult to justify

Question 12

Cognitive Overload (V3)

Answer 12

working (short term) memory has a limit.
overload occurs when working memory is overloaded

Question 13

Working memory “space” (V3)

Answer 13

5 to 9 words in short term memory

Question 14

How does attention impact visual tasks? (V3)

Answer 14

Attention is very limited for conscious visual search tasks, making it difficult to retain and compare complex visual information.

Question 15

What is the advantage of side-by-side views over animation? (V3)

Answer 15

ide-by-side views are easier to compare because the eyes move between them, reducing cognitive load.
Animation, on the other hand, relies on memory, making comparison harder.

Question 16

When is animation beneficial? (V3)

Answer 16

Animation is great for:

Choreographed storytelling (localized action).
Transitioning between states or datasets.
Giving users control (pause, replay, stop).

Question 17

What is change blindness? (V3)

Answer 17

Change blindness occurs when multiple small changes happen across a scene, making them difficult to detect.

Question 18

Why is animation poor for displaying many changing states? (V3)

Answer 18

Because of change blindness, animations that change multiple elements at once can make it hard to perceive differences.

Question 19

How does “Eyes Beat Memory” relate to data visualization? (V3)

Answer 19

It emphasizes the importance of externalizing information (e.g., using side-by-side views) rather than relying on memory, which is limited.