Less Is More? The Impact of Focusing Techniques on Recall Accuracy for Data Visualizations

Sammanfattning

Although visualization design guidelines commonly recommend using focusing techniques to guide viewers’ attention, the individual cognitive effects of color highlighting and annotation on recall remain unclear. Previous research has shown that focused visualizations can improve recall of emphasized information. However, it remains unclear whether this effect is driven by using color highlighting or annotation separately, or their combination, and whether focusing a visualization comes with a potential cost to recall of non-focused information. This study examined how color highlighting and annotation affect recall of focused and non-focused information in data visualizations. It was hypothesized that both color highlighting and annotation would lead to higher recall for focused information and lower recall for non-focused information, especially when combined. Participants ( N = 137) viewed eight data visualizations across four conditions: color highlighting, annotation, both techniques combined, and a decluttered design. The decluttered design served as a baseline condition without additional focusing cues. Participants answered cued free-response recall questions about both focused and non-focused information, and recall accuracy was measured as the percentage of correct answers. Results showed that both color highlighting and annotation led to higher recall accuracy for focused information. However, annotation was also associated with lower recall accuracy for non-focused information, whereas color highlighting had no significant effect. Combining the two techniques did not produce a stronger recall effect than using either technique alone. Overall, these findings support the use of focusing techniques in data visualizations, while suggesting that designers should consider the potential trade-offs of directing viewers’ attention.