Information Visualization: Perception for Design

Information Visualization is the major revision of a classic work on information visualization. This book explores the art and science of why we see objects the way we do. Based on the science of perception and vision, the author presents the key principles at work for a wide range of applications - resulting in visualization of improved clarity, utility, and persuasiveness. This is the first work to use the science of perception to help serious designers and analysts optimize understanding and perception of their data visualizations.

This unique and essential guide to human visual perception and related cognitive principles will enrich courses on information visualization and empower designers to see their way forward. Its updated review of empirical research and interface design examples will do much to accelerate innovation and adoption of information visualization. New to this edition are a new chapter on visual thinking, new sections on face perception and flow visualization, and a much-expanded chapter on color and color sequences.

This book will appeal to interaction designers; graphic designers of all kinds (including web designers); financial analysts; research scientists and engineers; data miners; and managers faced with information-intensive challenges.

*First work to use the science of perception to help serious designers and analysts optimize understanding and perception of their data visualizations.* Major revision of this classic work, with a new chapter on visual thinking, new sections on face perception and flow visualization, and a much expanded chapter on color and color sequences. *New to this edition is the full color treatment throughout, to better display over 400 illustrations.

Colin Ware is the world’s leading authority on the perceptual principles underlying the effective design of information displays. He combines interests in both basic and applied visualization research and he has advanced degrees in both computer science (MMath, Waterloo) and in the psychology of perception (PhD,Toronto). He has published over 160 articles in scientific and technical journals and at leading conferences. Many of these articles relate to the use of color, texture, motion and 3D displays in information visualization. His approach is always to combine theory with practice and his publications range from rigorously scientific contributions to the Journal of Physiology and Vision Research to applications oriented articles in ACM Transactions on Graphics and ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction. Fledermaus, the leading visualization software used in oceanography, originated in software developed by him and his graduate students.