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The importance of effectively storing, managing, and analyzing data is well understood. In my research I am interested in taking the next step – using visualization to make data humanly usable, comprehensible, and, ideally, trustable. Data visualization draws on knowledge from diverse fields such as computing science, design, cognition, perception, and graphics to create new interactive visual representations of data that are accessible, comprehensible, and explorable. In my research I hope to provide the means to glean more insight from data, and by enabling the exploration of this data, to discover answers to previously unasked questions. My goal is to empower people through use of visualizations, through the visualization of personal data, and through exploring how people can best understand the data that is increasingly part of their lives.

Biography

Sheelagh Carpendale is a Full Professor at Simon Fraser University in the School of Computing Science. She holds the NSERC/AITF/SMART Industrial Research Chair in Interactive Technologies. Her leadership role in the international data visualization research community has been repeatedly confirmed through many awards including the IEEE Visualization Career Award and being inducted into both the IEEE Visualization Academy and the ACM CHI (Computer-Human-Interaction) Academy. Her other awards include the Canadian NSERC E.W.R. STEACIE Fellowship, a British BAFTA (equivalent to an Oscar) in Interactive Learning; the Alberta ASTech Award, the Canadian Human Computer Communications Society Achievement Award. Her research focuses on information visualization, interaction design, and qualitative empirical research. By studying how people interact with information both in work and social settings, she works towards designing more natural, accessible and understandable interactive visual representations of data. She combines information visualization, visual analytics and human-computer interaction with innovative new interaction techniques to better support the everyday practices of people who are viewing, representing, and interacting with information.

The power of alternate representations

May 24th, 14:00
Telecom Paris Tech room F503

Abstract

To visualize data one of the first steps is to develop a visual representation. This representation is a result of a mapping by which the data can be specified. Much has been said of about the power of these visual representations. Simon (1981) said that solving a problem is simply a matter of representing so as to make the solution transparent – implying that finding the right representation solves the problem. Card et al. (1998) said that interactive visual representations can amplify our cognition – can in effect make us smarter. In spite of this, the small box in the visualization creation pipeline that signifies the development of the visual representation remains one of the least unpacked. Through examples from my own work and others’, I will discuss the power and potential of alternate visual representations.

Biography

Sheelagh Carpendale is a Full Professor at the University of Calgary where she holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Information Visualization and an NSERC/AITF/SMART Industrial Research Chair in Interactive Technologies. She has many received awards including the E.W.R. NSERC STEACIE (a major national science award), a BAFTA (British equivalent of an Oscar); the Alberta ASTech Award, the Canadian Human Computer Communications Society Achievement Award, and was featured in Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council - State of the Nation 2012 - report. Dr. Carpendale directs the Innovations in Visualization (InnoVis) research group and initiated the interdisciplinary graduate program, Computational Media Design. She is an internationally renowned leader in both information visualization and large display interaction. Her research focuses on information visualization, interaction design, and qualitative empirical research. By studying how people interact with information both in work and social settings, she works towards designing more natural, accessible and understandable interactive visual representations of data. She combines information visualization, visual analytics and human-computer interaction with innovative new interaction techniques to better support the everyday practices of people who are viewing, representing, and interacting with information.