mélange

	year(s):	2007
	project duration:	6 months
	skills:	information visualization, controlled experiment, brainstorming sessions, questionnaires, java programming
	final stage:	evaluated in a controlled experiment
	deliverables:	working prototoype, conference paper, design iterations, controlled study

For this project, I participated in the design of a presentation technique allowing users to explore their data visually. The aim of Mélange is to allow users to look at details in their data while retaining an overview of the larger dataset. The solution offered by Mélange is to fold the visual space to allow focus point to remain in detail while allowing the data in between focus points to remain visible in the folds between the focus points (See picture on the right side).

I also participated in the design and conduct of a controlled experiment to evaluate Mélange's performances when compared with full viewport and split viewport scenarios. This experiment demonstrated that Mélange provided better awareness of contextual information between focus points, while performing similarly on simple navigation tasks.

For more information, you can watch the video at the bottom of this page, and read the associated scientific publications:

Mélange: Space Folding for Visual Exploration

Nikals Elmqvist, Yann Riche, Nathalie Henry and Jean-Daniel Fekete, in the IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (2009, in press).

Mélange: Space Folding for Multi-Focus Interaction

Nikals Elmqvist, Nathalie Henry, Yann Riche and Jean-Daniel Fekete, Proceedings of the CHI2008 (the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems).


See the video of Mélange in action: