Visual Text Analytics for Impromptu Analysts

Abstract

The Scalable Reasoning System (SRS) is a lightweight visual analytics framework that makes analytical capabilities widely accessible to a class of users we have deemed “impromptu analysts.” By focusing on a deployment of SRS, the Lessons Learned Explorer (LLEx), we examine how to develop visualizations around analytical-oriented goals and data availability. We discuss how to help impromptu analysts to explore deeper patterns. Through designing consistent interactions, we arrive at an interdependent view capable of showcasing patterns. With the combination of SRS widget visualizations and interactions around the underlying textual data, we aim to transition the casual, infrequent user into a viable–albeit impromptu–analyst.