Snap-together visualization: can users construct and operate coordinated visualizations?

Multiple coordinated visualizations enable users to rapidly explore complex information. However, users often need unforeseen combinations of coordinated visualizations. Snap-together visualization (Snap) enables users to rapidly and dynamically construct coordinated–visualization interfaces, customized for their data, without programming. Users U001load data into desired visualizations, then construct coordinations between them for brushing and linking, overview and detail view, drill down, etc. Snap formalizes a conceptual model of visualization coordination based on the relational data model. Visualization developers can easily Snap-enable their independent visualizations using a simple API.Empirical evaluation reveals benefits, cognitive issues and usability concerns with coordination concepts and Snap. Two user studies explore coordination construction and operation. Data-savvy users successfully, enthusiastically and rapidly constructed powerful coordinated–visualization interfaces of their own. Operating an overview-and-detail coordination reliably improved user performance by 30–80% over detail-only and uncoordinated interfaces for most tasks.