What is Visualization Really for?
This work addresses a foundational conceptual problem for visualization researchers, offering a new perspective to unify and advance the field.
The paper argues that the primary purpose of visualization should be reframed from 'gaining insight' to 'saving time' in user tasks, proposing this as a more concrete and measurable objective to guide research and reduce ambiguity.
Whenever a visualization researcher is asked about the purpose of visualization, the phrase "gaining insight" by and large pops out instinctively. However, it is not absolutely factual that all uses of visualization are for gaining a deep understanding, unless the term insight is broadened to encompass all types of thought. Even when insight is the focus of a visualization task, it is rather difficult to know what insight is gained, how much, or how accurate. In this paper, we propose that "saving time" in accomplishing a user's task is the most fundamental objective. By giving emphasis to saving time, we can establish a concrete metric, alleviate unnecessary contention caused by different interpretations of insight, and stimulate new research efforts in some aspects of visualization, such as empirical studies, design optimisation and theories of visualization.