Beyond storytelling with data: Guidelines for designing exploratory visualizations

Abstract

Visualizations are a critical medium not only for telling stories, but for fostering exploration.But while there are countless examples how to use visualizations for“storytelling with data,” there are few guidelines on how to design visualizations for public exploration.This educator report draws on decades of work in science museums, a public context focused on designing interactive experiences for exploration, to provide evidence-based guidelines for designing exploratory visualizations.Recent studies on interactive visualizations in museums are contextualized within a larger body of museum research on designs that support exploratory learning in interactive exhibits.Synthesizing these studies highlights that to create successful exploratory visualizations, designers can apply long-standing guidelines from exhibit design but need to provide more aids for interpretation.