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A User Study of Visualization Effectiveness Using EEG and Cognitive Load
Article first published online: 28 JUN 2011
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8659.2011.01928.x
© 2011 The Author(s) Journal compilation © 2011 The Eurographics Association and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Additional Information
How to Cite
Anderson, E. W., Potter, K. C., Matzen, L. E., Shepherd, J. F., Preston, G. A. and Silva, C. T. (2011), A User Study of Visualization Effectiveness Using EEG and Cognitive Load. Computer Graphics Forum, 30: 791–800. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8659.2011.01928.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 28 JUN 2011
- Article first published online: 28 JUN 2011
- Abstract
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- Cited By
Keywords:
- I.3.3 [Computer Graphics]: General;
- Human Factors, Evaluation, Electroencephalography
Abstract
Effectively evaluating visualization techniques is a difficult task often assessed through feedback from user studies and expert evaluations. This work presents an alternative approach to visualization evaluation in which brain activity is passively recorded using electroencephalography (EEG). These measurements are used to compare different visualization techniques in terms of the burden they place on a viewer's cognitive resources. In this paper, EEG signals and response times are recorded while users interpret different representations of data distributions. This information is processed to provide insight into the cognitive load imposed on the viewer. This paper describes the design of the user study performed, the extraction of cognitive load measures from EEG data, and how those measures are used to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of visualizations.