Certainly Uncertain: Reintroducing Uncertainty in Visualizations

Abstract

Information Diffusion (ID) is shaped by uncertainty, yet most visualizations overlook it, leading to oversimplified or misleading interpretations. This work enhances two existing ID visualizations by integrating uncertainty through visual encodings within the original research goals. We are exploring how visualizing uncertainty might influence interpretation, including the potential for signal suppression or amplification. We discuss design alternatives and insights that apply to visualizing uncertainty in two existing visualization techniques. Future work directions are focusing on evaluating the designs and eliciting user feedback and comments on the interpretability and intuitiveness of the proposed uncertainty visualization encodings.