A Buffer Framework for Supporting Responsive Interaction in Information Visualization Interfaces
Description:
We present a framework that we are developing to better solve several critical issues that arise when interactive systems are extended to large displays. These issues include slow reaction times, difficulties with high numbers of concurrent interactions or user inputs, and problems that occur when combining several aspects of visualizations. In part, these issues arise from a number of complexities that are present in current approaches. This makes it important to tackle this problem directly rather simply waiting until the computing power has increased sufficiently and calls for a fundamentally new approach to computer interface foundations. Our framework combines ideas from information visualization, large displays, collaborative work, and non-photorealistic rendering (NPR). Specifically, we are employing four concepts/techniques: layered buffers, local coherence, emergent complexity, and force fields.
Paper download: 
(4.7 MB)
Demo:
You can download a demo of the Table Interface Application (Win32, 47 MB) and try it out for yourself. The demo works best with Smart DViT hardware.
Videos:
Table interface before the use of our buffer framework, on a tabletop display with about two megapixels, showing the significant slow-down as more and more objects need to be animated:
Initial tests with the new buffer framework, on a larger tabletop display with about three times the resolution:
Another initial test and proof-of-concept:
Re-implemented table interface using the new buffer framework, also on the larger tabletop display, showing a variety of interaction techniques and widgets and the simultaneous use of a high number of images and other objects:
Poster (for demo at CSCW 2006):
Additional material:
Cross-References:
This technique was later used in several projects, including mobile spatial tools for fluid interaction, NPR stroke-based rendering interaction, mobile spatial tools for fluid interaction, hand-posture controlled stroke-based rendering, and the exploration of 3D vector and flow fields.
Main Reference:
| Tobias Isenberg, André Miede, and Sheelagh Carpendale (2006) A Buffer Framework for Supporting Responsive Interaction in Information Visualization Interfaces. In Hajime Kita, Kim Rose, Benay Dara-Abrams, Rieko Kadobayashi, Rick McGeer, and Hideyuki Takada, eds., Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Creating, Connecting and Collaborating through Computing (C5 2006, January 26–27, 2006, Berkeley, California, USA). Los Alamitos, CA. IEEE Computer Society, pages 262–269, 2006. | doi video url url | ||
Other References:
| Sheelagh Carpendale, Tobias Isenberg, Stacey D. Scott, Uta Hinrichs, André Miede, Russel Kruger, Stefan Habelski, and Kori Inkpen (2006) Collaborative Interaction on Large Tabletop Displays. In Amy Voida, eds., Conference Supplement of the 2006 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW 2006, November 4–8, 2006, Banff, Alberta, Canada). New York. ACM Press, pages 57–58, 2006. Extended abstract and interactive demo. | pdf url url | ||
| Tobias Isenberg, Petra Neumann, Sheelagh Carpendale, Simon Nix, and Saul Greenberg (2006) Interactive Annotations on Large, High-Resolution Information Displays. In 2006 Conference Compendium of IEEE VIS, IEEE InfoVis, and IEEE VAST (October 29–November 3, 2006, Baltimore, Maryland, USA). Los Alamitos, CA. IEEE Computer Society, pages 124–125, 2006. Extended abstract and poster. | pdf video url url | ||
| André Miede (2006) Realizing Responsive Interaction for Tabletop Interaction Metaphors. Master's thesis, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, 2006. | pdf url | ||
This work was done at the Innovis group at the Interactions Lab of the University of Calgary, Canada.