Needs Assessment for the Design of Information Synthesis Visual Analytics Tools

Information synthesis is a key portion of the analysis process with visual analytics tools. This stage of work requires users to collect, organize, and add meaning to individual analytical results. This paper reports the results of a needs assessment study with technical and bio/chemical security analysts intended to characterize the ways in which users currently synthesize information,and to elicit ideas for future tools to support information synthesis. Our work used structured interviews to obtain knowledge from analysts. Responses indicate that synthesis is currently supported through the use of office productivity software, and current tools do not provide adequate support for the task of information synthesis.