Making graph visualization a user-centered process.

Many problems in application domains deal with graphs. Graphs are often visualized into node-link diagrams for better understanding of them. Traditionally, graphs are visualized to meet some pre-defined quality metrics, or aesthetics. It is commonly agreed that graphs that are drawn based on aesthetics are more likely to be not only beautiful but also comprehensible. However, those aesthetics were originally proposed by researchers based on their intuitions from a designer’s perspective. Although some of them have been empirically validated, to produce truly user cognitively friendly visualizations,well-grounded cognitive theories and design guidelines are needed.