Exemplar-based Layout Fine-tuning for Node-link Diagrams
This work addresses the need for efficient visual graph editing for users in data visualization, though it appears incremental as it builds on existing node embedding and layout methods.
The paper tackles the problem of adjusting node-link diagrams by introducing a layout fine-tuning technique that transfers user modifications from an exemplar substructure to topologically similar ones, resulting in a system that enables intuitive graph exploration and adjustment.
We design and evaluate a novel layout fine-tuning technique for node-link diagrams that facilitates exemplar-based adjustment of a group of substructures in batching mode. The key idea is to transfer user modifications on a local substructure to other substructures in the whole graph that are topologically similar to the exemplar. We first precompute a canonical representation for each substructure with node embedding techniques and then use it for on-the-fly substructure retrieval. We design and develop a light-weight interactive system to enable intuitive adjustment, modification transfer, and visual graph exploration. We also report some results of quantitative comparisons, three case studies, and a within-participant user study.