Classically, affordance research investigates how the shape of objects communicates actions to potential users. Cognitive affordances, a subset of this research, characterize how the design of objects influences cognitive actions, such as information processing. Within visualization, cognitive affordances inform how graphs' design decisions communicate information to their readers. Although several related concepts exist in visualization, a formal translation of affordance theory to visualization is still lacking. In this paper, we review and translate affordance theory to visualization by formalizing how cognitive affordances operate within a visualization context. We also review common methods and terms, and compare related constructs to cognitive affordances in visualization. Based on a synthesis of research from psychology, human computer interaction, and visualization, we propose a framework of cognitive affordances in visualization that enumerates design decisions and reader characteristics that influence a visualization's hierarchy of communicated information. Finally, we demonstrate how this framework can guide the evaluation and redesign of visualizations.

翻译：传统上，可供性研究探讨物体的形态如何向潜在使用者传达操作方式。认知可供性作为该研究的分支，主要描述物体设计如何影响认知行为（例如信息处理）。在可视化领域，认知可供性揭示了图表的设计决策如何向读者传递信息。尽管可视化领域存在若干相关概念，但目前仍缺乏将可供性理论正式引入可视化研究的系统性工作。本文通过形式化认知可供性在可视化语境中的运作机制，对可供性理论进行梳理并引入可视化领域。我们同时回顾了常用方法与术语，并将可视化中的相关概念与认知可供性进行比较。基于对心理学、人机交互及可视化领域研究的整合，我们提出了可视化认知可供性框架，该框架系统阐述了影响可视化信息传递层级的设计决策与读者特征。最后，我们通过案例演示该框架如何指导可视化作品的评估与再设计。