On-the-fly training techniques for improving the readability of parallel coordinates and treemaps

Complex data-driven decisions often need complex data. Existing advanced visualizations, such as parallel coordinates and treemap, can help present this information but they are generally considered overly complex to read for everyday decision makers. Prior research on training techniques that reported training time included video or interactive tools that may not be fast and easy enough for decision makers to learn at the time of use. Therefore, inspired by learning theories in psychology and preferences of decision makers, we designed a set of on-the-fly training techniques based on static views to help them quickly learn and leverage these visualizations in the decision-making process. To evaluate the effectiveness of these training techniques, we conducted an empirical study. We found some evidence that three of our training techniques could help reduce the perception of difficulty in reading at least one of the complex visualizations. However, for each visualization, these training techniques were only effective in improving accuracy or response time in some of the tasks. Finally, we identified readability challenges in these two complex visualizations that could inform the design of future training techniques.