Information Visualisation Practices in the Digital Humanities

The increasing availability of Humanities data is a powerful driver of information visualisation projects in the Digital Humanities (DH). While several efforts in defining taxonomies, project classifications, and best practices in several domains exist, only a few contributions focus on how Digital Humanities effectively address the epistemological potential of data visualisations in Humanities research. In this article, we present an analysis of 186 DH web projects, which have been described in terms of (1) narrative strategies; (2) scientific domains; (3) charting solutions; (4) interactive capabilities; and (5) critical approaches to visualise uncertainty and interpretation. Our findings reveal a field still characterised by a naïve reuse of visualisation and interaction choices, with a strong preference for out-of-the-box solutions and a general reluctance or impossibility to provide customised visualisations that better frame humanistic enquiries. The research provides a new foundation for critical reflection and decision-making for digital humanists who intend to maximise the potential of design choices in information visualisation and narrativity within forthcoming projects.