Data at Hand: Exploring the Tactile Perception of Data Physicalizations

Data physicalizations are tangible objects, and touching them may improve their interpretation. However, little is known about how people actually touch physicalizations. We recorded verbal and tactile responses to data physicalizations in three consecutive conditions: as an unspecified object, as a representation of unknown data, and with full information about data and encoding. Our two stimulus objects present data for nine countries in a 3x3 grid. We varied vertical axis polarity, with positive data values either above (convex) or below (concave) baseline. Using an analog tracer method, we examine whether some components of the physicalization are touched more than others, whether touch varies by task and the impact of axis polarity. We found large differences in the degree to which different components were touched and that the effect of vertical axis polarity depended on task. We describe additional tactile and verbal behaviors that can inform the design of data physicalizations.