Enhancing statistical charts: toward better data visualization and analysis

Conventional statistical charts are widely used in visual analysis. With the development of digital techniques, statistical charts are confronted with problems when data grow in scale and complexity. Accordingly, a huge amount of effort has been paid on the enhancement of standard charts, making the design space dramatically increased. It is cumbersome for naive users to choose appropriate design in a specific analysis scenario. In this paper, we survey the enhancement techniques for a compact set of statistical charts, and identify the types and usage scenarios. Motivated by the new problems, such as data volume and complexity, we present a challenge-and-task-driven framework to guide the understanding of the design space and the decision-making process.