Paul Parsons
Purdue University, IN·Computer Science·Early-career
Charts, dashboards and other data graphics shape how people understand information at work and in public life. Designing them has become a profession of its own.
- Fields
Computer Science
Psychology
Education Research
- Topics
data visualization
information visualization
visualization design
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Apr 2027
What they work on
- Characterize decision making and cognitive errors, such as fixation on early ideas, in how professional data visualization designers frame problems and generate solutions, using design probes, diary studies and design challenges.
- Map the landscape of data visualization design knowledge, including its organizing principles and how practitioners create and use it, using semi-structured interviews and studies of practice.
- Model how the visualization research and practitioner communities currently share knowledge, and propose new mechanisms for knowledge transfer, using co-creation workshops with practitioners.
More about the research
Yet little is known about how professional designers actually think while they work. It is also unclear how much they draw on academic research, or whether their practice reveals questions that researchers have missed. Closing the gap between visualization research and real-world practice could improve both the designs people see and the way future designers are trained.
Why it matters
Professional designers who build charts and dashboards could benefit from clearer links to research and from awareness of common thinking errors such as fixation. The work could also produce better materials and strategies for training future visualization designers. In turn, the data graphics the public relies on could communicate more effectively.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Alexander Kale
University of Chicago, IL·Computer Science·Early-career
Develop a theory that defines visualization design goals as trade-offs among kinds of information loss, made computable through mathematical formalisms derived from example analysis, synthesis and expert interviews.
Jaime Snyder
University of Washington, WA·Computer Science
Study how COASST citizen scientists use current identification materials, and probe their values, mental models and expectations for marine mammals, through observation, interviews and focus groups.
Michael Gleicher
University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI·Computer Science
Determine how people interpret small subsets of data items to grasp an overview of a large collection, using empirical user studies that link subset design choices to task performance.
The school
Purdue University: 43 labs on PI Pages, $932M a year on research, 833 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
A start for your email. Fill in the brackets.