Concepts de base
Effective presentation of age distributions through narrative visualizations can improve public understanding and engagement with health information.
Résumé
This study explores the most effective ways to present age distributions of diseases through narrative visualizations. The researchers conducted a thorough analysis of existing visualizations, held workshops with a broad audience, and reviewed relevant literature. From this, they identified design choices focusing on comprehension, aesthetics, engagement, and memorability.
The researchers specifically tested three pictogram variants - pictograms as bars, stacked pictograms, and annotations. After evaluating 18 visualizations with 72 participants and three expert reviews, they determined that annotations were most effective for comprehension and aesthetics. However, traditional bar charts were preferred for engagement, and other variants were more memorable.
The study provides a set of design recommendations based on these insights. Key suggestions include:
- Use pictograms as bars to depict disease prevalence in age groups, ensuring clear contours for data reading.
- Employ stacked pictograms for memorability and attention-grabbing, but avoid too many to reduce cognitive load.
- Utilize pictograms as annotations for improved legibility and viewer acceptance, with uniform size and positioning.
- Enhance comprehension through readability aids like gridlines and data labels, and handle low incidences appropriately.
- Improve acceptance by displaying sex-split incidences, encoding explanations, and including disease symptoms alongside age data.
The researchers also highlight the potential of integrating interactive elements and innovative technologies like augmented/virtual reality to further enhance public health communication and education through narrative medical visualizations.
Stats
New cases of bipolar disorder per 100,000 residents by age and sex, Germany (2019)
New cases of breast cancer per 100,000 residents by age and sex, Germany (2019)
New cases of salmonellosis per 100,000 residents by age and sex, Germany (2019)
Citations
"Narrative medical visualization is promising for improving information comprehension and retention."
"By integrating age distributions into narrative visualizations, we can enhance public understanding of disease risk groups."
"Annotations were most effective for comprehension and aesthetics. However, traditional bar charts were preferred for engagement, and other variants were more memorable."