Assessing User Engagement in Information Visualization

Abstract

Engagement is an important aspect of user experience. While some researchers have investigated user engagement in the context of information visualization, there is still a lack of scholarship on the topic. In this paper we briefly explore the role and significance of user engagement in information visualization, and discuss challenges in its characterization and assessment. We present VisEngage, a self-assessment questionnaire that provides insight into 11 different characteristics of user engagement. We report the results of an online pilot study that was conducted using VisEngage, and reflect on its potential utility for visualization researchers and designers.