In the face of complex decisions, people often engage in a three-stage process that spans from (1) exploring and analyzing pertinent information (intelligence); (2) generating and exploring alternative options (design); and ultimately culminating in (3) selecting the optimal decision by evaluating discerning criteria (choice). We can fairly assume that all good visualizations aid in the intelligence stage by enabling data exploration and analysis. Yet, to what degree and how do visualization systems currently support the other decision making stages, namely design and choice? To explore this question, we conducted a comprehensive review of decision-focused visualization tools by examining publications in major visualization journals and conferences, including VIS, EuroVis, and CHI, spanning all available years. We employed a deductive coding method and in-depth analysis to assess if and how visualization tools support design and choice. Specifically, we examined each visualization tool by (i) its degree of visibility for displaying decision alternatives, criteria, and preferences, and (ii) its degree of flexibility for offering means to manipulate the decision alternatives, criteria, and preferences with interactions such as adding, modifying, changing mapping, and filtering. Our review highlights the opportunities and challenges and reveals a surprising scarcity of tools that support all stages, and while most tools excel in offering visibility for decision criteria and alternatives, the degree of flexibility to manipulate these elements is often limited, and the lack of tools that accommodate decision preferences and their elicitation is notable. Future research could explore enhancing flexibility levels and variety, exploring novel visualization paradigms, increasing algorithmic support, and ensuring that this automation is user-controlled via the enhanced flexibility levels.

翻译：面对复杂决策时，人们通常会经历三个阶段： (1) 探索与分析相关信息（情报阶段）；(2) 生成并探索备选方案（设计阶段）；(3) 通过评估区分性标准选择最优决策（抉择阶段）。我们合理假设所有优质可视化工具都能通过促进数据探索与分析来辅助情报阶段。然而，当前可视化系统在多大程度上、以何种方式支持决策的其他阶段（即设计与抉择）？为探索这一问题，我们对发表于VIS、EuroVis及CHI等主要可视化期刊与会议上的决策导向型可视化工具进行了全面综述，涵盖所有可获取的历年文献。采用演绎编码法与深度分析，评估可视化工具是否及如何支持设计与抉择阶段。具体而言，我们从两个维度考察每个工具：(i) 显示备选方案、标准与偏好的可见度；(ii) 通过添加、修改、映射变换及筛选等交互操作来操控备选方案、标准与偏好的灵活度。综述揭示了机遇与挑战，并发现能够支持全部三个阶段的可视化工具出奇稀少：多数工具虽擅长展示决策标准与备选方案，但操控这些元素的灵活度往往受限，且明显缺乏容纳决策偏好及其引导机制的工具。未来研究可探索提升灵活度与多样性、开发新型可视化范式、增强算法支持，并确保此类自动化通过增强的灵活度由用户掌控。