Cartographic Design and Usability of Visual Variables for Linear Features

• Published in: Cartographic journal 2017-01, Vol.54 (1), p.91-102
• Main Authors: Kubíček, Petr, Šašinka, Čeněk, Stachoň, Zdeněk, Štěrba, Zbyněk, Apeltauer, Jiří, Urbánek, Tomáš
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cartographic design; cognitive style; transport; usability
• ISSN: 0008-7041; 1743-2774
• DOI: 10.1080/00087041.2016.1168141

This article addresses the measurement and assessment of response times and error rates in map-reading tasks relative to various modes of linear feature visualization. In a between-subject design study, participants completed a set of map-reading tasks generated by approaches to a traffic problem. These entailed quick and correct decoding of graphically represented quantitative and qualitative spatial information. The tasks first involved the decoding of one graphic variable, then of two variables simultaneously. While alternative representations of qualitative information included colour hue and symbol shape, the quantitative information was communicated either through symbol size or colour value. In bivariate tasks, quantitative and qualitative graphical elements were combined in a single display. Individual differences were also examined. The concept of cognitive style partially explains the variability in people's perception and thinking, describing individual preferences in object representation and problem-solving strategies. The data obtained in the experiment suggest that alternative forms of visualization may have different impacts on performance in map-reading tasks: colour hue and size proved more efficient in communicating information than shape and colour value. Apart from this, it was shown that individual facets of cognitive style may affect task performance, depending on the type of visualization employed.