9 Mediating geovisualization to potential users and prototyping a geovisualization application

After establishing user requirements (Lloyd, Dykes, Radburn, 2007) human centred techniques can be used to progressively prototype geovisualization applications. User evaluation has been limited in visualization (Ellis and Dix, 2006) and a handful of studies focus on geovisualization users at the design stages (e.g. Ahonen-Rainio and Kraak, 2005). This paper outlines work to mediate geovisualization tools/interactions to potential users and shows how HCI prototyping techniques can aid the development of a geovisualization application. Our case study involving the crime reduction researchers in Leicestershire County Council (LCC) gives insight into which prototyping techniques work and which need modifying because of the unique characteristics of using interactive computer maps as interfaces to information exploration.