ReConstructor: A Scalable Constructive Visualization Tool
This addresses a scalability issue for visualization designers, though it appears incremental as it builds on existing constructive approaches.
The paper tackles the scalability problem of constructive visualization authoring tools for larger datasets by introducing ReConstructor, which uses four interaction elements to propagate mapping steps, reducing time and effort while preserving benefits like flexible outputs and data understanding.
Constructive approaches to visualization authoring have been shown to offer advantages such as providing options for flexible outputs, scaffolding and ideation of new data mappings, personalized exploration of data, as well as supporting data understanding and literacy. However, visualization authoring tools based on a constructive approach do not scale well to larger datasets. As construction often involves manipulating small pieces of data and visuals, it requires a significant amount of time, effort, and repetitive steps. We present ReConstructor, an authoring tool in which a visualization is constructed by instantiating its structural and functional components through four interaction elements (objects, modifiers, activators, and tools). This design preserves most of the benefits of a constructive process while avoiding scalability issues by allowing designers to propagate individual mapping steps to all the elements of a visualization. We also discuss the perceived benefits of our approach and propose avenues for future research in this area.