Understanding Researchers' Use of a Large, High-Resolution Display Across Disciplines

Abstract

A driving force behind the design of increasingly large and high resolution displays (LHRDs) has been the need to support the explosion of data in the natural sciences such as physics, chemistry, and biology. However, our experience with an LHRD accessible to researchers across multiple disciplines has shown that they are useful for a wide range of research activities involving large images and data. \ We conducted in-context, semi-structured interviews with researchers from a variety of disciplines about their experiences using the LHRD with their own data. Notably, it became apparent that the size and resolution of the LHRD supported a multitude of activities related to observation, for which zooming or other enlargement methods on standard resolution screens were not sufficient. The interview findings lead to implications for further research into supporting a broader range of disciplines in using large, high-resolution displays.