Enhancing Data Analytics in Virtual Reality using Physicalization

Abstract

When it comes to analysing and communicating data, most of the time we rely on traditional 2D representations, primarily due to the commonness of 2D displays and report formats. Other approaches like representing data in virtual reality are only used rarely. With the vast amount of data surrounding us today, a better understanding of this data can result in better decisions in many aspects of our life. The thesis deals with representing data as 3D objects in a 3D immersive environment, also referred as data physicalization, which aims to improve data analytics. Researching these enhancements is the goal of this thesis. After reviewing relevant literature, a prototype following the design science research (DSR) approach was developed. The prototype is a virtual reality application built for the Samsung Gear VR platform with WebVR, representing demographic data of Switzerland. A user study with 20 participants was conducted with a comparable 2D visualization....