A new authoring system for diverse data visualization at scale

Abstract

Kyrix is a platform used to create a wide range of data visualizations with large amounts of data. In the current system, several hundred lines of JavaScript are required to create a visualization in Kyrix. In order to greatly reduce this barrier of entry and provide a more intuitive user experience, we have created a new authoring system which features a graphical user interface. This authoring system supports all components of Kyrix, with the user interface centering around the five main components: canvases, layers, transforms, views, and jumps. Kyrix authors can add new components, edit existing components, and fully customize a component's parameters. It also provides a hierarchical overview of all the components in the current visualization, as well as a rendered view of the visualization. While the design of this authoring system is fairly simple, it includes key design choices that greatly enhance the experience of writing a Kyrix application, and is unique in its ability to support a system that produces such diverse visualizations.