ResearchWave: an ambient visualization for providing awareness of research activities

The goal of a research institution is, ultimately, to share and disseminate knowledge. Yet the sheer volume of information produced by large institutions makes it challenging to keep track of the vast knowledge within. Information on who knows what is often scattered across multiple sources and media. Expertise tracking systems allow users to search for people who know answers, but do not support serendipitous discovery. To help visitors and researchers alike develop awareness of research activities, we have designed ResearchWave---a large-display ambient visualization, installed in the social spaces of a research institution. ResearchWave represents information on research activities in a lightweight and aesthetically pleasing manner. Research-Wave is based on a "walk up and use" approach: it uses multiple levels of visual encodings to engage people while allowing them to learn more with each novel encounter. In this paper, we report our design process, first prototype and lessons learned from initial user feedback.