Designing a Visualization Application for Interaction
Abstract
Hidden problems can be found in informal communication networks (such as email), and
there is still much room for improvement on awareness of these problems. One area where
such problems can be found is in the speed at which members of these networks communicate
with each other (interaction speed). In this thesis, we have documented the Design Science
Research study we have conducted in order to establish what causes these interaction speed
problems in email networks, and how a visualization of the network could help solve them or
reduce their frequency. Our research has resulted in us producing a feature list and a basic
architecture for the visualization, as well as mockups based on those artifacts, along with
scenarios that clarify what these mockups represent. We have also used our results to outline
and discuss the main issue areas within organizational email networks. Finally, we provide
guidelines for how our visualization application design can be used to reduce and/or solve
issues within these areas.
The contributions of this study are important due to how organizational resource and
communication routes (such as email networks) can be improved through visualization and
analysis. We have also identified a knowledge gap regarding the design of email network
visualization applications with the specific purpose of improving interaction speed, which
implies that our results do not overlap with those of previous studies.
Degree
Student essay
Collections
View/ Open
Date
2015-03-19Author
Britsman, Eric
Cao, Fangzhou
Keywords
Email network visualization
Interaction speed improvement
Social network analysis
Design science research
Language
eng