VisPorter: facilitating information sharing for collaborative sensemaking on multiple displays

The multiplicity of computing and display devices currently available presents new opportunities for how visual analytics is performed. One of the significant inherent challenges that comes with the use of multiple and varied types of displays for visual analytics is the sharing and subsequent integration of information among different devices. Multiple devices enable analysts to employ and extend visual space for working with visualizations, but this requires users to switch intermittently between activities and foci of interest over different workspaces. We present a visual analytics system, VisPorter, developed for use in a multiple display and device environment, and a user study that explores the usage and benefits of this system. VisPorter enables seamless cross-device activity through lightweight touch interactions, and allows multiple displays and devices to be fluidly connected for sensemaking.