UX design of a big data visualization application supporting gesture-based interaction with a large display

Abstract

The explosion of information has led to the proliferation of Big Data as an influential business and research domain. Data center infrastructure management is a sector largely affected by Big Data, however the visualization of, and interaction with, Big Data in the context of a data center room is a challenging endeavor. This paper presents the iterative design and development of a 3D Data Centre Visualization application featuring gesture-based interaction with a high resolution large screen display. As result of the design iterations three distinct system versions were developed, evolving the supported functionality, the User Interface and the interaction methods. The paper presents the evolution of the system, the results of an expert-based evaluation which was carried out during the development life-cycle, as well as the challenges faced and lessons learned regarding the User Experience design of a big data application deployed in a large display, supporting gestural interaction.