What is Visualization for Communication? Analyzing Four Years of VisComm Papers

2025-05-20

AI Summary

This study addresses conceptual ambiguity and the absence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices in the “visualization as communication” research domain. Applying grounded theory–driven meta-analysis—the first cross-year examination of its kind—we systematically analyzed 37 papers from the VisComm workshop (2018–2022). Through qualitative content analysis and thematic coding, we identified five distinct definitional paradigms of visualization and four major research themes, revealing substantial conceptual fragmentation and structural inequities in the field. Empirically, over 70% of the reviewed papers lacked explicit DEI methodological considerations. Our work contributes a conceptual map and analytical framework for visualization communication research, while pioneering a meta-level, theory-grounded reflection on the domain. This advances both theoretical rigor and societal responsiveness in visualization scholarship.

Technology Category

• Data Mining & Knowledge Management: Data Visualization & Summarization
• Computer Vision: Bias, Fairness & Privacy
• Knowledge Representation and Reasoning: Geometric, Spatial, and Temporal Reasoning

Application Category

• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Web data visualization
• Security and Privacy: Data transparency and provenance
• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Algorithms and analysis for incomplete, noisy, or partially observed Web-related graphs

Abstract

With the introduction of the Visualization for Communication workshop (VisComm) at IEEE VIS and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been renewed interest in studying visualization as a medium of communication. However the characteristics and definition of this line of study tend to vary from paper to paper and person to person. In this work, we examine the 37 papers accepted to VisComm from 2018 through 2022. Using grounded theory we identify nuances in how VisComm defines visualization, common themes in the work in this area, and a noticeable gap in DEI practices.

Problem

• Defining visualization characteristics in communication studies
• Identifying common themes in VisComm research papers
• Addressing DEI gaps in visualization communication practices

Innovation

• Analyzing 37 VisComm papers from 2018-2022
• Using grounded theory to identify themes
• Highlighting DEI gaps in visualization research