2-D vs. 3-D Display for Multidimensional Data Visualization: The Relationship between Task Integrality and Display Proximity

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Abstract
The current study explores the relationship between the display representation of a multidimensional data base (separated vs. integrated) and the information processing demands of different types of tasks. Subjects answered a range of questions about a complex economic data base while viewing either a 2-D or 3-D (perspective) display of subsets of the data. Animated vs. static representations of dynamic data were also examined. The 3-D display supported better performance than did the 2-D display on the more integrative questions, while no difference between formats was found for questions demanding focused attention. The 3-D display also supported a better visual model of the data space, but did not improve subjects' ability to verbalize the rules underlying this space. Animation did not provide a better means for understanding change information than did the static presentation mode. Implications for the design of data visualization display interfaces are discussed.

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