Visualization for Communication (VisComm)

WORKSHOP SUMMARY

While the visualization field consists of researchers exploring how people perceive information and different data visualization tools and platforms, there is an even larger community of analysts, practitioners, and organizations who are creating data and information visualizations and communicating their work every day. The challenges these groups face in communicating their work are often distinct from the research taking place in the academic community.

Most people experience visualization as communication and presentation. The New York Times and other publications regularly release interactive visuals depicting complex datasets including political topics, budgets, and sports. An independent community of visualization practitioners and bloggers has also sprung up, producing and deconstructing visualizations of data of broad interest. Free visualization tools such as D3, Data Wrapper, Tableau Public, and others are available and widely used.

The VisComm workshop brings together practitioners and researchers from a broad range of disciplines to address questions raised by the new and evolving role of data visualization in our everyday lives. We encourage participation from journalists, designers, practitioners, health communicators, and others who do not typically attend IEEE VIS.

DATE AND LOCATION

The workshop will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Sunday, October 22, 2023: 2:00 PM-5:00 PM AEDT (UTC+11).

WORKSHOP TOPICS

VisComm seeks contributions addressing questions including:

• How should visualization adapt to its new, more diverse audience? Visualization for communication addresses an audience that is much more varied in demographics and literacy than visualization for analysis.
• When do visualizations communicate successfully, and how can we measure that success? Methods might include web analytics, behavioral studies, eye tracking, or even galvanic skin response.
• How can practitioners build visualizations that communicate successfully? Are there models that can guide effective communicative visualization, possibly derived from theories of aesthetics, memory, metaphor, or persuasion?
• Are there certain visualization techniques (like "visual embellishments") that are particularly helpful for communication? How well do they work in concert?
• What tools do practitioners need to help them build visualizations for communication? What are typical practitioner workflows, and which parts of them are most challenging?
• Which application areas are still emerging for communicative visualization? How would the success of new tools be measured?
• What new lessons about visualization for communication are being revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic? For example, should physical distancing and economic disruption change communicative visualizations?
• How can data visualization help to fight against misleading facts and disinformation? What tools, platforms, and approaches have been useful to dispel untruths?

We particularly encourage contributors to address and illustrate issues like these with visual case studies that demonstrate the success or failure of communicative visualization projects in data journalism, public health and more. Our goal is to consider a broad range of examples and learn from their design decisions and process.

We invite contributions from any discipline, but particularly encourage journalists and designers to submit their work involving data-based communication or reporting. Scientific contributions concerning visualization for communication are of course welcome, as well.

CONTRIBUTE

VisComm has four submission tracks: short papers (research or position), visual case studies, and late-breaking works in progress. Selection criteria are clarity, relevance to the workshop, innovation, and quality of questions for attendees.

Short Research Papers

We invite submission of research papers between 2 and 6 pages long, including references, with length matching content. Research papers will be reviewed based on how well claims are supported by evidence. Submissions are expected to include all materials and data needed to replicate and reproduce any figures, analyses, and methods. If anything cannot be publicly shared (e.g., for data privacy concerns), state the reason in the paper.

Short Position Papers

We invite submission of position papers between 2 and 6 pages long, including references, with length matching content. Position papers are problem discussions or statements describing the author's relevant experience and ideas with regards to methods and methodologies for visualization research, and in particular the focus topic of the workshop. Position papers will be selected according to their importance and relevance for the workshop topics and how well they will fit the planned discussions.

Visual Case Studies

We invite practitioners to submit a one-page write-up together with a link to an online piece or a short video. The write-up should explain what you made, why you made it, outcome/responses (both expected and unexpected), etc. The goal is to show the work of journalists, designers, people working for governments or non-profits, etc., who use data to inform and communicate.

Late-Breaking Works in Progress

The purpose of this category is to present work in progress and receive feedback from attendees.

For research that is in progress, this session will provide a supportive atmosphere for helpful feedback and fresh perspectives on your aims and/or methods. Recommended structure for your one-page submission is: introduction, preliminary methods, preliminary findings (if applicable), and questions for attendees.

For practitioners, this is an opportunity to present contributions that showcase innovative visualizations or provide provocations for new ideas to emerge. Your one-page brief should include project background, design objectives, methods or design process, links to visualization design alternatives, preliminary findings (if available), and questions for attendees.

FORMATTING AND SUBMITTING

Your paper, abstract or write-up should take the form of a PDF file, formatted in the VGTC conference style, which has both LaTeX and MS Word templates. However, please replace the statement about IEEE copyright and reprints with the following text: "This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License."

All submissions should contain full author names and affiliations. If applicable, a short video (up to 5 min. in length) may also be submitted. Submissions will be juried by the organizers. At least one author of each accepted submission must register for the conference (even if only for the workshop). Registration information is available on the IEEE VIS website.

• Short Papers and Visual Case Studies: SUBMIT ONLINE USING PCS. Choose the VGTC Society, then VIS 2022 Conference, and then VisComm track.
• Late-Breaking Works in Progress : SUBMIT ONLINE USING GOOGLE FORMS.

ACCEPTED SUBMISSIONS

All accepted submissions will be posted on the workshop website.

We expect authors of accepted submissions to post their documents on the Open Science Framework's preprint archive, using the instructions we send. Authors are welcome to post an initial version of their submission earlier. Our OSF workshop papers are not considered archival by IEEE, and may be published elsewhere at a later date. However, we understand that authors from non-engineering disciplines may have different prior publication standards; please contact the chairs if you must publish your accepted submission differently.

Presenting authors can make use of a reduced workshop-only registration fee at IEEE VIS. Additionally, the IEEE VIS Inclusivity & Diversity Scholarship Committee provides complimentary conference registration based on need.

IMPORTANT DATES

deadlines occur at 11:59 PM in the last timezone on Earth.

Short Papers and Visual Case Studies

• Submission deadline: July 15, 2023 July 24, 2023
• Notification: August 15, 2023 August 24, 2023
• Camera-ready deadline: September 1, 2023 September 5, 2023

Late-Breaking Works in Progress

• Submission deadline: September 15, 2023
• Notification: September 28, 2023
• Camera-ready deadline: October 5, 2023

All Submission Tracks

• Speaker schedule available: October 11, 2023
• Workshop: October 22 or 23, 2023

VISCOMM COMMUNITY

At VisComm, we want to provide avenues for collaboration and networking. We are creating a directory of people willing to be contacted about their areas of expertise. The directory will be unveiled during VIS week and thereafter will be available to anyone who signs up for the VisComm email list. Follow this link to add your entry to the directory

ORGANIZERS

The quickest way to contact VisComm's organizers is via their shared email, viscomm_chairs@googlegroups.com

Paul Parsons, Purdue University
Alvitta Ottley, Washington University in St. Louis
Jonathan Schwabish, Urban Institute
Alice Feng, Urban Institute

STUDENT COMMITTEE

Melanie Bancilhon, Washington University in St. Louis
Sunwoo Ha, Washington University in St. Louis

REVIEWERS

ARCHIVE

2022 schedule, papers and posters
2021 schedule, papers and posters
2020 schedule, papers and posters
2019 schedule, papers and posters
2018 schedule, papers and posters