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Exploring the manifold possibilities of data visualization on foldable mobile devices.

Abstract

With this work, we explore the unique potential of data visualization on novel foldable mobile devices (foldables). Even though foldables are already commercially available, there is limited knowledge of how to leverage their distinct characteristics for visualization. This gap will only grow as their form factors become increasingly diverse. To address this, we use a two-step approach. First, we present a device-centered design space, structured around physical and usage properties of foldable devices. Second, we introduce a conceptual framework that investigates visualization on foldables from four complementary perspectives: More Displays – distributing multiple views to leverage additional display space; More Shapes – mapping visualizations to spatial fold states; More Interactions – coupling visualization tasks and folding interactions; and More States – enabling responsive visualization through folding. We complement the design space and conceptual framework with a low-fidelity ideation workshop and the subsequent prototyping of interactive artifacts. We reflect on the results and lessons learned from our exploratory, design-driven process and discuss opportunities and challenges, including the gap between our proposed concepts and commercially available foldable devices. By providing conceptual foundations and illustrating the potential of foldables, we hope to inspire and inform the development of future visualization applications for this evolving class of devices.

Research Article

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Design Space of Foldables

Foldable devices‘ reconfigurable physical forms fundamentally affect how visual content is displayed and interacted with. To capture this, we constructed a device-centered design space by surveying commercial products, research prototypes, and non-digital folding artifacts.

Our design space for foldable devices, organized into six categories across two groups. Foldable composition (blue) defines what a device is. Foldable usage (green) defines how it is used. The composition influences and constrains the usage. — © Baader et al., CC BY 4.0, Available at osf.io/enmyu

Visualization Concepts for Foldables

Our framework organizes visualization concepts along four complementary perspectives that leverage the unique characteristics of foldables.

  • More Displays

Unfolding provides additional screen space for distributing multiple coordinated views, offloading UI components, and separating detail-and-context views across panels.

  • More Shapes

Foldables assume spatial configurations beyond flat surfaces. Visualization structures can be aligned with physical seams, and views can be spatialized across angled or volumetric fold states.

  • More Interactions

Folding becomes an input modality for visualization tasks, enabling exploration through continuous angle control, slice & filter via parameter mapping, and physical transitions between comparison strategies.

  • More States

Fold-state transitions act as physical breakpoints for responsive visualization. They can trigger changes in detail level, visual encoding, device role, and collaboration setup.

Concept Illustrations

Foldables for multiple views (left) and UI offloading (right): (a) Different view distribution/layout; (b) Switch design patterns of composite visualization views (superimposition, juxtaposition, integration); (c) Unfold panels to reflect stepwise analysis workflow/process; (d) Show a menu aside a visualization on a smartwatch; (e) Offload filters, alternative views, or controls for tools (e.g., lenses). — © Baader et al., CC BY 4.0, Available at osf.io/enmyu
Part of our conceptual framework: detail-and-context techniques (left), the structural alignment of visualizations (middle), and spatialized views (right); (a) Different overview+detail settings; (b) Adjacency matrix on a triangular panel; (c) Focus and context on separate panels; (d) Parallel axes mapped to panel edges; (e) Separate levels of a DOI graph; (f) Perspective wall on tri-fold; (g) Temporal and spatial data on orthogonal panels; (h) Scatterplot matrix on partial cube; (i) Hive plot in a volumetric configuration. — © Baader et al., CC BY 4.0, Available at osf.io/enmyu
Foldables for exploration (left), slicing & filtering (middle), and comparison (right): (a) Continuous fold angle changes to control parameters (e.g., zoom level); (b) Physical folding of an information space (compression); (c) Explore a temporal information space by rotating (left-right panning); (d) Select a filter category from a list/stack by fold angle; (e) Control a data slice on an orthogonal panel; (f) Navigate layered information space via panel angle; (g) Change comparison strategy (nested to juxtaposed); (h) Separate superimposed into juxtaposed views or using explicit encodings. — © Baader et al., CC BY 4.0, Available at osf.io/enmyu
Foldables for visualization reconfiguration & user goals (left) and device roles & collaboration (right): (a) Using (un)folding as semantic zoom to access different levels of detail; (b) Changing visual encoding from a star plot to a parallel coordinates plot; (c) Turning a 2D map (flat state) into a 3D globe (volumetric state); (d) Moving from handheld to surface-supported use; (e) Using a volumetric state to support view visibility and readability for collaboration; (f) Combining shared and private views in laptop-like states; (g) Separating public from private data on a foldable locket. — © Baader et al., CC BY 4.0, Available at osf.io/enmyu

Supplemental Material

Further information can be found in the supplemental material osf repository.

Publication

Acknowledgments

We thank Petra Isenberg for commenting on early ideas and concepts, Memoria Hu, Michelle Pattikawa, and Omar Taher for contributing as student assistants, and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable input. We thank Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz Center for Informatics and the participants of the seminar 25082 for the opportunity to discuss early ideas of this work.
Part of this work was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – 545609014; by the DFG as part of Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC 2050/2 – Project ID 390696704 – Cluster of Excellence „Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop“ (CeTI) of TUD Dresden University of Technology; as well as the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR, SCADS22B) and the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism (SMWK) by funding the competence center for Big Data and AI „ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig“. Part of this work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under project No. 62202397.