Visualizations have two distinct uses: exploration and explanation. Exploration allows us to discover what is in our data in all stages of research process and construct hypotheses. in all stages of research process and construct hypotheses. Explanation is necessary when we have learned something about a phenomenon and we want to ‘map it’ to explain it to others. Typically, exploration is a part of analysis, while explanation is a part of communication (e.g., Keim, Kohlhammer, Ellis, & Mansmann, 2010). The two processes are intertwined in some projects, but often they have different audiences. Thus, tightly coupling with the “who” question in the previous section, they often require different visualization considerations.
For example, exploration is often (albeit not always) an expert task, therefore, one can assume that the explorer has a strong interest in the topic and therefore will take the time to digest more complex visualizations and can possibly master complex interaction designs. On the other hand, if the visualization is meant for public use (e.g., for a newspaper), this may be the opposite for majority of the viewers: they may not have the patience or motivation to do anything that requires too many steps or too much time to learn. Therefore, at the design stage, for a newspaper), this may be the opposite for majority of the viewers: they may not have the patience or motivation to do anything that requires too many steps or too much time to learn. Therefore, at the design stage, one-time users, first time users and mid- to long-term users should be distinguished, and it should be noted that even most long-term users do not appreciate a very high learning curve.