The goal of this homework is to experience and practice the use of visualization tools, accustom yourself to seeing data in new ways, discover something new in data, and think critically about visualizations.
Instructions:
Download the SequoiaView visualization tool for examining hard-drive directory tree structures. To learn how to use the tool, see the tutorial on that site. SequoiaView is based on the TreeMap concept, and lots more can be learned about TreeMaps here.
Use SequoiaView to examine your hard-drive contents, analyze differences between SequoiaView and WindowsExplorer (or Mac Finder), and write a short report. Try to determine what task scenarios are better supported by each tool. Focus your comparison of the tools on the primary views themselves, not on the other details of the user interfaces such as menus or help.
Evaluate your hypotheses by testing the tools with a few users: Create a few benchmark tasks related to directory trees a (e.g. which directory has more than 50 files?). Then, recruit a few of your friends to perform the benchmark tasks with each tool. Record the amount of time it takes them to perform each task with each tool.
Hand in:
Hard-copy of 1-2 page report that lists:
- List 2 interesting discoveries you made about your directories. Use pictures to show your claims (e.g. screenshots of visualizations -- Alt-PrintScrn captures a screenshot that can be pasted into word processors). You may add an additional page for pictures.
- List 3 scenarios that are better supported by SequoiaView. For each, identify what aspect of the visual representation enables it.
- List 2 scenarios that are better supported by Explorer/Finder, and why?
- Did your data collection verify or refute your hypotheses? how so?
Make it easy to parse. I like bullets.