Inconspicuous Guides: A Qualitative Study to Understand the Degree of Intrusiveness in Visualization Onboarding

Abstract

Current visualizations are becoming more and more complex. Visualization onboarding is a possibility to assist users in understanding such visualizations. Nevertheless, previous research indicates that users tend to ignore this kind of assistance, even if it is evident that they need help to interact with the system efficiently. This investigation aims to collect prototypes of visualization onboarding systems taking into account the degree of intrusiveness through a user inquiry using sketching and a questionnaire. We conducted a study with 65 participants. We asked them to what extent intrusion on the part of the system (e.g., compulsory tutorials, automatic pop-up messages) would be acceptable. In addition, we asked them to create solutions to this problem. Most found less intrusive visualization onboarding forms (e.g., tooltips, optional and concise tutorials) helpful. Compulsory visualization onboarding forms were considered less helpful. Participants also suggested chatbots or ML algorithms as convenient solutions for visualization onboarding.