Data Cubes in Hand: A Design Space of Tangible Cubes for Visualizing 3D Spatio-Temporal Data in Mixed Reality

TL;DR

This study addresses visualizing 3D spatio-temporal data in mixed reality using tangible cubes by developing a design space that maps interaction space to visualization space. A user-informed process, including a workshop with 24 participants and a proof-of-concept prototype, yields concrete interaction-visualization pairings and demonstrates how small cubes can form scalable ensembles for space-time data like global health spending. A qualitative evaluation with six participants validates the feasibility, revealing trade-offs between cube size, multiplicity, dynamic versus anchored visualizations, and the balance between exploration and clarity. The work provides actionable guidelines on combinatorial design, customization, material choices, and implementation techniques, advancing MR tangible interfaces for multidimensional data exploration with practical implications for education, analysis, and visualization design.

Abstract

Tangible interfaces in mixed reality (MR) environments allow for intuitive data interactions. Tangible cubes, with their rich interaction affordances, high maneuverability, and stable structure, are particularly well-suited for exploring multi-dimensional data types. However, the design potential of these cubes is underexplored. This study introduces a design space for tangible cubes in MR, focusing on interaction space, visualization space, sizes, and multiplicity. Using spatio-temporal data, we explored the interaction affordances of these cubes in a workshop (N=24). We identified unique interactions like rotating, tapping, and stacking, which are linked to augmented reality (AR) visualization commands. Integrating user-identified interactions, we created a design space for tangible-cube interactions and visualization. A prototype visualizing global health spending with small cubes was developed and evaluated, supporting both individual and combined cube manipulation. This research enhances our grasp of tangible interaction in MR, offering insights for future design and application in diverse data contexts.

Figures (14)

• Figure 1: Tangible cubes of small, medium and large sizes.
• Figure 2: Flow chart of the ideation workshop and the subsequent analysis. Left: Illustration of the sample data, cube representation and assembly. Each column represents a different country, whereas the vertical axis represents time. These individual cubes can be manipulated to create constructive assemblies. Middle: Participants and process of the ideation workshop. Right: Analysis workflow decomposing compound interactions and coding elemental statements into the finalized design space.
• Figure 3: The design space of tangible cubes, structured along two dimensions: interaction space (encompassing gestures and physical manipulations) and visualization space (covering process control, visualization transformation, and data transformation). For each interaction-visualization pairing, multiple mapping combinations were suggested. The frequency of a specific mapping being proposed by the users is indicated by a color-coded square box 7 . The number within the box represents the frequency and the color intensity correlates to the frequency, with darker colors denoting higher frequency counts. Highlighting denotes a mapping implemented in our prototype.
• Figure 4: Pictorial summary of the commands in the visualization space, including three primary categories, namely data transformation, visual transformation and process control.
• Figure 5: Illustration of the prototype interface. The interface consists of four components: data cubes, a map region, an interaction region, and visualizations.