Rajendran, S., Tuscher, M., Arleo, A., Archambault, D., Miksch, S., Landesberger, T. von, & Filipov, V. (2026). Happy Puzzles: Puzzle Games for Visualization Task Abstraction. In D. Fellner (Ed.), VisGames 2026: EuroVis Workshop on Visualization Play, Games, and Activities. The Eurographics Association. https://doi.org/10.2312/visgames.20261004
Task abstraction is fundamental in visualization research. It aids in describing and reasoning about analytical goals. While existing approaches provide rich and well-established frameworks, they are primarily text-based and challenging to engage with in practice. In this work, we explore a complementary, game-based approach to task abstraction using a puzzle metaphor to represent and construct analytical tasks. We design a set of interactive games in which participants construct and reconstruct tasks using these pieces, encouraging hands-on engagement and reflection. By framing task abstraction as an interactive and playful activity, our approach aims to support accessibility and foster a deeper understanding of visualization tasks while remaining grounded in established theory. Printable parts of the game as well as instructions are available through OSF.
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Project title:
ArtVis: Dynamische Netzwerk für die digitale Kunstgeschichte: P35767-N (FWF - Österr. Wissenschaftsfonds) SANE: Visual Analytics für Ereignisdiffusion in Netzwerken: I 6635-N (FWF - Österr. Wissenschaftsfonds) Visuelle Analytik und Computer Vision treffen auf kulturelles Erbe: DFH 37-N (FWF - Österr. Wissenschaftsfonds)
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