Three trajectories for narrative visualisation

Narrative Visualisation (NarVis) is the pairing of data visualisation with narrative techniques. Due to its interdisciplinary applications and scholarship, NarVis presentations often feature vastly different interpretations of “narrative” and “visualisation”, which is echoed in NarVis authoring tools. To map the morphology of how the narratives of NarVis manifest, we identify three different trajectories for the field. These trajectories are identified through an analysis of selected NarVis presentations and tools, with an emphasis on identifying how traditional narrative techniques are adopted, transposed or indeed challenged by NarVis examples. We then populate our categories with additional examples and tools, providing a foundational point of reference for NarVis scholars, authors and tool developers.