Keywords: Human-centered computing, touchscreens, visualization system and tools, appliced computing->annotation
+Knowledge Externalization, seamless annotation, note-taking and invocation of analytical operations
Introduction
previous work focused less on how to enable people to externalizae their thoughts as they engage in sensemaking activities
previous studies
ex) key affordance of analog pen and paper to annotate content -> capture fleeting ideas
knlg externalization has cognitive and social benefits
cognitive : lowering working memory load
support idea reformulation
social: provide common ground to share insights with others
For sensemaking & data exploration tasks: keep track of numerous insights found while browsing through data
Contribution of ActiveInk
prefix allows switching between ink pens and action pens
postfix provides ink for all pen strokes & people can activate any ink stroke to perform analytic actions
ex) underlining sentences, circling a region may be activated to filter, highlight or color the underlying data
analytic capabilities of ActiveInk
ex) sketched correlation line to trigger a regression or hatching an interval on an axis or legend to filter corresponding values
Related Work
Role of knlg extern in solving data analysis tasks
Pen and Touch Visualization Systems
ex) SketchInsight, PanoramicData, VizDom - pen and touch interactions for data analysis tasks
Pen interactions
free-form note-taking & predefined gestures to invoke commands
Unique Affordances of Digital Pens
Externalization in Visualization
multiple benefits when engaging in long and complex tasks
1. limit their working memory load
2. articulate and reformulate thoughts -> understanding and retention
3. share thinking with peers to generate a shared object of thoughts to support communication and decision-making
- process <-> marks remain on the page
The benefits relevant for visual analytics and sensemaking activities
externalizing thoughts is critical to facilitate revisitation and keep track of insights and hypotheses
