Comparing and reusing visualisation and sonification designs using the ms-taxonomy

Abstract

Comparing designs of sonifications is difficult enough but comparing a visual display with a sound display is much harder. Yet the designer of multi-sensory displays would like to make sensible decisions about when to use each modality. This paper describes a classification of abstract data displays that is general for all senses. This allows the same terminology to be used for describing both visualisations and sonifications. The classification of displays is hierarchical and describes multiple levels of abstraction. In software engineering terms the taxonomy allows a designer to consider reuse at both an abstract architectural level and also a more detailed component level. Thus design mappings can be discussed independently of the sensory modality to be used. This allows for exactly the same design to be implemented for each sense and subsequently compared.