Evaluation of Network Comparison Approaches

Abstract: Network visualizations have been used for quit long time. Different disciplines use this visualization to compare a given dataset. Identifying better comparison approach that is used for information visualization is indispensable both for the people who are using it and for developers who are looking for a better way of visualizing huge data. In this thesis a task based approach has been used to analyze two different network comparison approaches namely Juxtaposition (showing different objects compared in separate space or time) and Superposition (overlaying objects in the same space). Thirty students at Linnaeus University have participated in the questionnaire to evaluate the usability of the two approaches. SPSS tool is used to analyze the data collected from the participants and the result explicitly indicates that there is no significant variation between Juxtaposition and Superposition comparison approaches. The result can be used as a recommendation for domain specific professionals and developers in their quest for better network comparison for their audience.