What is Immersive Data Visualization Anyway?
By: Jason Tam
Tags: Stay At Home, Augmented Reality, Data Visualization, Technology, Virtual Reality

The human brain, as incredible as it is, is just not wired to process data in this particular format (i.e. a 2D spreadsheet). Dashboards and other 2D visualizations are a step in the right direction, but still face limitations because the human brain struggles to process and synthesize multiple 2D visualizations simultaneously. At best, advanced data practitioners will synthesize multiple 2D visualizations into a complex, multi-dimensional mental models, as human brains are built for, and best attuned to, 3D environments. At worst, average users will struggle to synthesize the data into actionable insights.

The multi-dimensional display of data allows our brains to ingest the data in a way that’s easiest for us, allowing our minds to easily and intuitively identify trends and patterns in multiple, large complex datasets. By presenting a visual representation of this data in a format that ‘plays nicely’ with the way our minds are built to ingest data, we can make the task of synthesizing insights from this data much less taxing and much more accessible to everyone.

What are the quantifiable benefits of immersion?

There are many quantifiable benefits to viewing data immersively; namely the increased accessibility to difficult datasets, increased scale and complexity of data that can be ingested, faster time to insights, lowered cognitive load, and the ability to discover previously inaccessible and unseen patterns. Additionally, the presentation method is more intuitive and, combined with natural interaction and real-time interactivity, allows users to immediately put on a headset and understand very complex, technical datasets without needing special training or advanced degrees.

With immersion, enormous datasets can be visualized in a digestible experience that can convey complex insights with ease, allowing teams to understand that two seemingly contradictory insights may be true simultaneously. For example, with 2D data visualizations, the presentation format is so limited that only one vantage point may be shown or explored at a time. With immersive displays, many vantage points are visible simultaneously. This allows users to understand that from one analytical perspective, an insight may be true, but from another analytical perspective, it may be untrue. This level of complexity is incredibly difficult to communicate in 2D visualizations and PowerPoint presentations.

A cropped screencap of a scorecard showing around a million data points! Anyone’s mind would explode without some proper visualization tools! (Source: NASCAR)

Commonly, insights are presented individually, one by one, to an audience, who are then asked to stitch together a summary understanding of these insights so they can be contextualized holistically. This happens every time you or your team must sit through a 45 page Powerpoint presentation where each slide is a new scatterplot or other similar 2D graph.

From our research, over 70% of individuals will build (or attempt to build) multi-dimensional ‘mental models’ of datasets when shown data in this manner. The addition of an immersive visualization allows everyone to skip this step to jump directly into a multi-dimensional ‘mental model.’ This ensures that the team will all view the same mental model and navigate and explore it within a shared context. Long term, this leads to greater team consensus and less time spent reconciling different analytical methods used to discover operational insights.

Can immersion improve my current workflow?

Given all of these benefits — how exactly can your data visualization and analytical workflows be improved with immersive data tools?

First and foremost, expect a lowered cognitive load — less brain power needed to complete your analysis. Second, expect a greater engagement from your team when it comes to sharing your insights, and even a greater engagement with the concept of data as whole, as more people understand it, are able to see it in a way that makes sense, are more generally included in the process of analyzing their datasets.

Additionally, expect a greater consensus among teams when it comes to important data-driven decision-making, as everyone will experience a greater shared context of understanding as to what the data actually conveys. Overall, your team should see a decrease in the time spent analyzing and communicating data and an increase in the speed and accuracy of decision-making, even among distributed or remote teams.

Sure, immersive data visualization is useful — but it’s also cool. As demonstrated by this guy, above! (Source: Microsoft Hololens)

Users can also expect to see an increase in situational awareness and concentration due to the interactivity and visual effectiveness of multi-dimensional data displays. Immersive experiences (especially the ones designed by BadVR) are designed to be intuitive for all types of users, allowing for all technical skill levels to engage. Alongside these propositions are cost-savings through a reduction in training expenses due to ease-of-use. Lastly, a key benefit of immersion is remote collaboration, which we talk was deserving of its own article entirely (check it out here)!

How will immersive data affect you? (i.e. what’s the TL;DR)

After performing extensive research into immersive data visualization and analytics — we are absolutely convinced that VR and AR are the most effective mediums for visualizing, analyzing, and communicating insights from big data. Immersive experiences are also easier to operate, cheaper, more accessible, engaging, and can even be — *gasp* — fun!

Humans are primarily visual creatures, and VR and AR experiences are great visually-driven storytelling tools. Most people think of immersive technology as a way to share stories or gaming experiences, but harnessing this communicative power to increase accessibility to, and the value of, enterprise datasets is an equally important and meaningful application!

In many instances, immersion unlocks new potential in datasets, allowing them to be seen in previously impossible ways. A great example of this is our product, SeeSignal, which allows users to don a headset and see their entire WiFi, cellular, and Bluetooth networks all in a single, holistic view, contextual to their real-world environment and detailed and accurate to every single part of the user’s environment. Prior to this, signal coverage strength data was presented as a 2D coverage map, completely ignoring the fluctuations and changes in signal strength depending on altitude, and impossible to view overlaid on the user’s real world, in real-time.

Simply reach grab one of the many signal sticks in your environment to get a signal reading, while simultaneously understanding the entire network coverage in your environment. That’s the power (and effectiveness) of SeeSignal! (Source: BadVR)

Although VR began it’s life as an entertainment tool, its ability to make datasets accessible and to convey meaning within data is unrivaled. There are many industries and workflows that can benefit from the added value of immersive data workflows — from finance to telecom, to marketing and advertising, the benefits are as broad as they are valuable. If you’re interested in exploring the addition of immersive data visualization tools, such as those offered by BadVR, please reach out today for a demo. We’d love to chat with you about your industry and how our platform can help you and your team thrive.

The future is here, and we hope you will hop on board the immersive data wave with us!

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If you want to get to know more about our awesome, immersive solutions, BadVR would be happy to chat with you.! Our team strongly believes in putting usability and accessibility first with all of our immersive data analytic solutions. We have data solutions for everyone, from every background, for every dataset! BadVR is here to make YOUR data easy.

Contact us today via the links below:

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info@badvr.com

Curious about incorporating immersive data visualization into your remote workflow? Then reach out today for a demo of BadVR’s platform.