Notable: On-the-fly Assistant for Data Storytelling in Computational Notebooks

Abstract

Computational notebooks are widely used for data analysis. Their interleaved displays of code and execution results (e.g., visualizations) are welcomed since they enable iterative analysis and preserve the exploration process. However, the communication of data findings remains challenging in computational notebooks. Users have to carefully identify useful findings from useless ones, document them with texts and visual embellishments, and then organize them in different tools. Such workflow greatly increases their workload, according to our interviews with practitioners. To address the challenge, we designed Notable to offer on-the-fly assistance for data storytelling in computational notebooks. It provides intelligent support to minimize the work of documenting and organizing data findings and diminishes the cost of switching between data exploration and storytelling. To evaluate Notable, we conducted a user study with 12 data workers. The feedback from user study participants verifies its effectiveness and usability.