Data Visualization vs Data Physicalization for Group Collaboration

Abstract: Data representation tools are commonly used as means of understanding data. However, new ways of representing data such as using physical objects can have a different advantage as well. It is not only understanding the data, which is important, but giving meaning to data to inspire change. This field, called data physicalization, is still new, meaning that limited research exists about it which made us interested in exploring it further. We chose to do this by comparing a physicalization tool with a digital representation tool. We chose to limit the scope of our study to group collaboration and investigate the advantages and disadvantages of both tools from this perspective. We found this angle interesting since most major decisions require a group to work together and the representation tools used for assistance should encourage this. We investigated this by having focus groups where participants solved problems in a group using one representation tool at a time followed by individual interviews. We observed the behavior of the participants and compared it to the answers they gave in the interviews to uncover the main advantages and disadvantages of the data visualization and data physicalization tools. The biggest advantage uncovered by our study for data visualization is the ability to sort and filter data which makes it easier to understand the data. The biggest disadvantage is that only one person at a time has control over the mouse and thus the tool, creating a hierarchical group dynamic. The biggest advantage of the physicalization tool is its dynamic nature which enables the users to interact with the data thus supporting the understanding and exploration of ideas. One of the biggest disadvantages is that data physicalization is a new research field, which results in people needing time to understand how to use it. New data representation tools can be developed based on these advantages and disadvantages.