Naïve Realism: Limits of Realism as a Display Principle

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Display designers are often called upon to create visualizations of complex geo-spatial environments for users engaged in tasks such as civil emergency, air traffic, or military operations. What visualization principles exist to guide them? One principle is to strive towards realism, on the belief that realistic depictions result in near effortless comprehension. We think this faith in realism is misplaced and term this misplaced faith Naïve Realism. Naïve Realism appears to stem from the folk belief that scene perception is simple, accurate, and rich, when, in fact, perception is remarkably complex, error-prone, and sparse. It results in the development of realistic displays that give users flawed, imprecise representations. Therefore, Naïve Realism offers a new account of why users sometimes prefer displays that subsequently under-perform. We review the evidence for Naïve Realism, its origins, why it persists, and conclude with a discussion of how good design can counteract it