For our next monthly meeting, we are excited to welcome Srini Ravichandran, User Experience Researcher and doctoral student at Arizona State University! Srini will share research on how effective map design can improve the usability of GIS-based interfaces for environmental monitoring and public communication.
Meeting Details:
Description: Effective map design plays a crucial role in how users comprehend complex spatial data, particularly in decision-making environments such as environmental monitoring and public communication. This thesis investigated whether applying the Proximity Compatibility Principle (PCP), which suggests that visual elements should be placed near one another when the task requires integration, enhances the usability of Geographic Information System (GIS)-based mapping interfaces. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, this research compares two styles of maps sourced from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ): one with enhanced spatial grouping of related information and one with a more traditional layout. Participants completed comprehension and analysis tasks while their eye movements were recorded using eye-tracking technology.
In a between-subjects laboratory study, participants from diverse educational backgrounds completed a single target-search task (“find the named PFAS water system”). The analysis treats task completion time and a single attention metric (Time-to-First-Fixation) as confirmatory outcomes, evaluated using independent-samples t-tests and 95 % confidence intervals. Task success (accuracy) is summarized descriptively with risk differences and odds ratios, while workload (NASA-TLX) and comprehension measures were examined using mixed-methods descriptive and thematic analyses. Results indicate that the PCP-aligned map yielded faster orienting times, lower reported workload, and clearer spatial grouping, whereas the legacy map produced higher mental and temporal demand and greater visual clutter.