A study on identifying the relationship between personality differences and user preferences in visualization types for storytelling reporting

Abstract

The growth of big data analytics has led to the widespread use of data or information visualization (InfoVis) and storytelling in various industries, such as finance, sports, and education. This process involves turning data, information, and knowledge into interactive visual representations that can effectively communicate a meaningful story. Successful InfoVis reports in big data analytics should be both technically accurate and useful for decision-makers. Previous research has found that a person's personality can influence their preference for InfoVis. While InfoVis tools have become more user-friendly over the years, they have often followed a one-size-fits-all approach, ignoring individual differences. There is limited research on how individual characteristics and visualization-type preferences for storytelling can be considered InfoVis tools. This study aims to explore the relationship between personality and preferences for different visual elements in visualizing and storytelling, such as hierarchical visualization, changes over time, and comparison visualization, among university students in one institution. These visual designs are commonly used in modern research and may be related to personality. The study will use a personality trait test to measure the participants' personalities and a questionnaire to assess their preferences in visualization types for information visualization and data storytelling. This study reveals a significant association between individual personality traits and the specific sorts of visualizations favored by users for narrative purposes. The results of this research may help to address the one-size-fits-all problem in InfoVis tools and provide insights that can be used in the design process to help analysts or designers select the best graphical visualizations for specific target groups, improving understanding and decision-making.