About Us

The Data Storytelling research team of HKUST VisLab is dedicated to exploring storytelling techniques for communicating data-driven insights with visualizations. Our research interests are wide-ranging and include the investigation of novel techniques in data-driven storytelling and the development of authoring tools or automatic approaches to generate narrative visualizations. As we delve into these topics, we aim to bridge the gap between the complex world of data analytics and the intuitive realm of human communication. At the core of our research lies the belief that data storytelling is not only about presenting numbers and facts but also about crafting engaging narratives that resonate with the audience. By exploring innovative visualization techniques and narrative structures, we strive to create a powerful medium that simplifies complex data insights, making them approachable and relatable to a wide range of audiences.

News

  • Congrats to Wenchao Li for successfully defending his PhD thesis titled Interactive Visualization Systems for Narrative-Driven Data Exploration and Communication!
  • Congrats to Xian Xu for successfully defending her PhD thesis titled Data-driven Storytelling Videos: Cinematic Guidelines and Design Space!
  • One paper was accepted in ACM UIST! Wake up static text with deformation :D
  • One paper was accepted in IEEE VIS! Check out evaluation of different explainations for poorly designed vis.
  • Emordle was accepted in IEEE TVCG! Create your own animated wordle and convey emotions better.
  • Four papers were accepted in ACM CHI!
  • One paper was accepted in PacificVis! Check out the design of 3D data videos.
  • One paper about misinformative vis was accepted in EuroVis!

    • Articles

    All
    Design Patterns/Guidelines
    Designing & Evaluation
    Authoring/Generation

    2023

    Wakey-Wakey: Animate Text by Mimicking Characters in a GIF

    Liwenhan Xie, Zhaoyu Zhou, Kerun Yu, Yun Wang, Huamin Qu, Siming Chen
    UIST 2023.
    DOI arXiv Video Code

    Why Change My Design: Explaining Poorly Constructed Visualization Designs with Explorable Explanations

    Leo Yu-Ho Lo, Yifan Cao, Leni Yang, Huamin Qu
    IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (Proc. VIS). 2023. — Just Accepted
    arXiv

    Creating Emordle: Animating Word Cloud for Emotion Expression

    Liwenhan Xie, Xinhuan Shu, Jeon Cheol Su, Yun Wang, Siming Chen, Huamin Qu
    IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG). 2023.
    DOI arXiv Website Video Slides

    Why is AI not a Panacea for Data Workers? An Interview Study on Human-AI Collaboration in Data Storytelling

    Haotian Li, Yun Wang, Vera Liao, Huamin Qu
    arXiv Preprint (arXiv). 2023.
    arXiv

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

    Haotian Li, Lu Ying, Haidong Zhang, Yingcai Wu, Huamin Qu, Yun Wang
    Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). 2023.
    DOI arXiv Video Talk

    GeoCamera: Telling Stories in Geographic Visualizations with Camera Movements

    Wenchao Li, Zhan Wang, Yun Wang, Di Weng, Liwenhan Xie, Siming Chen, Haidong Zhang, Huamin Qu
    Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). 2023.
    DOI PDF Video

    NetworkNarratives: Data Tours for Visual Network Exploration and Analysis

    Wenchao Li, Sarah Schöttler, James Scott-Brown, Yun Wang, Siming Chen, Huamin Qu, Benjamin Bach
    Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). 2023.
    DOI arXiv Video

    Is It the End? Guidelines for Cinematic Endings in Data Videos

    Xian Xu, Aoyu Wu, Leni Yang, Zheng Wei, Rong Huang, David Yip, Huamin Qu
    Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). 2023.
    DOI arXiv Talk

    Understanding 3D Data Videos: From Screens to Virtual Reality

    Leni Yang, Aoyu Wu, Wai Tong, Xian Xu, Zheng Wei, Huamin Qu
    Proceedings of the IEEE Pacific Visualization Symposium (PacificVis). 2023.
    DOI PDF Website

    2022

    Misinformed by Visualization: What Do We Learn From Misinformative Visualizations?

    Leo Yu-Ho Lo, Ayush Gupta, Kento Shigyo, Aoyu Wu, Enrico Bertini, Huamin Qu
    Computer Graphics Forum (Proc. EuroVis). 2022.
    DOI arXiv

    From 'Wow' to 'Why': Guidelines for Creating the Opening of a Data Video with Cinematic Styles

    Xian Xu, Leni Yang, David Yip, Mingming Fan, Zheng Wei, Huamin Qu
    Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). 2022.
    DOI arXiv Video Talk

    2021

    Explore Mindfulness Without Deflection: A Data Art Based on the Book of Songs

    Yifang Wang, Yifan Cao, Junxiu Tang, Yang Wang, Huamin Qu, Yingcai Wu
    IEEE VIS Arts Program (VISAP). 2021.
    DOI PDF Website Talk Slides

    A Design Space for Applying the Freytag’s Pyramid Structure to Data Stories

    Leni Yang, Xian Xu, Xingyu Lan, Ziyan Liu, Shunan Guo, Yang Shi, Huamin Qu, Nan Cao
    IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (Proc. VIS). 2021.
    DOI PDF Website Video

    Learning to Automate Chart Layout Configurations Using Crowdsourced Paired Comparison

    Aoyu Wu, Liwenhan Xie, Bongshin Lee, Yun Wang, Weiwei Cui, Huamin Qu
    Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). 2021.
    DOI arXiv Talk

    Explaining with Examples Lessons Learned from Crowdsourced Introductory Description of Information Visualizations

    Leni Yang, Cindy Xiong, Jason Kam Kwai Wong, Aoyu Wu, Huamin Qu
    IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG). 2021.
    DOI arXiv

    AI4VIS: Survey on Artificial Intelligence Approaches for Data Visualization

    Aoyu Wu, Yun Wang, Xinhuan Shu, Dominik Moritz, Weiwei Cui, Haidong Zhang, Dongmei Zhang, Huamin Qu
    IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG). 2021.
    DOI arXiv Website Talk Slides

    Applying Machine Learning Advances to Data Visualization: A Survey on ML4VIS

    Qianwen Wang, Zhutian Chen, Yong Wang, Huamin Qu
    IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG). 2021.
    DOI arXiv Website

    InfoColorizer: Interactive Recommendation of Color Palettes for Infographics

    Linping Yuan, Ziqi Zhou, Jian Zhao, Yiqiu Guo, Fan Du, Huamin Qu
    IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG). 2021.
    DOI arXiv Website Video

    Augmenting Sports Videos with VisCommentator

    Zhutian Chen, Shuainan Ye, Xiangtong Chu, Haijun Xia, Hui Zhang, Huamin Qu, Yingcai Wu
    IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (Proc. VIS). 2021.
    Best Paper Honorable Mention
    DOI PDF Website Video

    2020

    Augmenting Static Visualizations with PapARVis Designer

    Zhutian Chen, Wai Tong, Qianwen Wang, Benjamin Bach, Huamin Qu
    Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). 2020.
    DOI PDF Video Talk

    What Makes a Data-GIF Understandable?

    Xinhuan Shu, Aoyu Wu, Junxiu Tang, Benjamin Bach, Yingcai Wu, Huamin Qu
    IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (Proc. VIS). 2020.
    DOI arXiv Website Video

    Improving Engagement of Animated Visualization with Visual Foreshadowing

    Wenchao Li, Yun Wang, Haidong Zhang, Huamin Qu
    Proceedings of the IEEE Visualization Conference (VIS). 2020. — Short Paper
    DOI arXiv Video Slides

    DancingWords: Exploring Animated Word Clouds to Tell Stories

    Xinhuan Shu, Jiang Wu, Xinke Wu, Hongye Liang, Weiwei Cui, Yingcai Wu, Huamin Qu
    Journal of Visualization (Proc. ChinaVis). 2020.
    Best Paper Honorable Mention
    DOI PDF Website Video

    Narrative Transitions in Data Videos

    Junxiu Tang, Lingyun Yu, Tan Tang, Xinhuan Shu, Lu Ying, Yuhua Zhou, Peiran Ren, Yingcai Wu
    Proceedings of the IEEE Visualization Conference (VIS). 2020. — Short Paper, Collaborated Project
    DOI arXiv Website Talk

    2019

    Towards Automated Infographic Design: Deep Learning-based Auto-Generation of Extensible Timeline

    Zhutian Chen, Yun Wang, Qianwen Wang, Yong Wang, Huamin Qu
    IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (Proc. VIS). 2019.
    DOI arXiv Website Video

    Narvis: Authoring Narrative Slideshows for Introducing Data Visualization Designs

    Qianwen Wang, Zhen Li, Siwei Fu, Weiwei Cui, Huamin Qu
    IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG). 2019.
    DOI arXiv Website Video Talk

    Designing Narrative Slideshows for Learning Analytics

    Qing Chen, Zhen Li, Ting-Chuen Pong, Huamin Qu
    Proceedings of the IEEE Pacific Visualization Symposium (PacificVis). 2019.
    DOI Video

    2018

    Storytelling and Visualization: An Extended Survey

    Chao Tong, Richard Roberts, Rita Borgo, Sean Walton, Robert S Laramee, Kodzo Wegba, Aidong Lu, Yun Wang, Huamin Qu, Qiong Luo, Xiaojuan Ma
    Information 2018.
    DOI PDF

    MARVisT: Authoring Glyph-based Visualization in Mobile Augmented Reality

    Zhutian Chen, Yijia Su, Yifang Wang, Qianwen Wang, Huamin Qu, Yingcai Wu
    IEEE Transaction on Visualization and Computer Graphics (Proc. VIS). 2018.
    DOI PDF Website Video

    InfoNice: Easy Creation of Information Graphics

    Yun Wang, Haidong Zhang, He Huang, Xi Chen, Qiufeng Yin, Zhitao Hou, Dongmei Zhang, Qiong Luo, Huamin Qu
    Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). 2018.
    DOI PDF Video Talk

    2016

    Data Edibilization: Representing Data with Food

    Yun Wang, Xiaojuan Ma, Qiong Luo, Huamin Qu
    Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). 2016. — Poster
    DOI PDF Talk

    Animated Narrative Visualization for Video Clickstream Data

    Yun Wang, Zhutian Chen, Quan Li, Xiaojuan Ma, Qiong Luo, Huamin Qu
    SIGGRAPHAsia 2016.
    DOI PDF

    A Guided Tour of Literature Review: Facilitating Academic Paper Reading with Narrative Visualization

    Yun Wang, Dongyu Liu, Huamin Qu, Qiong Luo, Xiaojuan Ma
    Proceedings of the International Symposium on Visual Information Communication and Interaction (VINCI). 2016.
    DOI PDF

    Current Members

    Prof. Huamin Qu
    Leni Yang
    Wenchao Li
    Leo Yu-Ho Lo
    Wai Tong
    Linping Yuan
    Xian Xu
    Yifan Cao
    Haotian Li
    Liwenhan Xie

    Alumni

    Xinhuan Shu
    U. Edin
    Yifang Wang
    Northwestern
    Aoyu Wu
    Harvard
    Qianwen Wang
    Harvard
    Zhutian Chen
    Harvard
    Yun Wang
    MSRA
    Qing Chen
    Tongji Univ.
    Weiwei Cui
    MSRA
    Nan Cao
    Tongji Univ.

    Collaborators