Conveying environmental data has grown interest in encouraging the adoption of eco-friendly lifestyles through data-driven strategies. This scope appeals to data visualizations representing the environmental purpose. For example, previous work has already proposed nature-inspired counters, gauges, and bitmaps, but data series remains to be explored. Therefore, could we design and implement effective plant-like charts? This paper brings answers through a research-through-design approach that explores a design space to maximize readability and aesthetics. It then compares four prototypes of charts over modality and material dimensions by asking users about scenarios involving renewable energy forecasts. The results examine whether implementing physical charts is worth it instead of graphical charts and the advantages of using meaningful materials that evocate sustainability and enhance naturalness. The results also reexamine, with physical charts, the previous results on graphical infographics of slightly lower clarity and readability but higher aesthetics of embellishment. In addition, learnability is examined for encoding rates through folded shapes. This paper shows that physical plant-like charts are worthwhile because of promising performance and best-of-breed naturalness when materials allow low-tech aspects' perception and because being installable in public places without explanations if folded shapes encode rates ranging from 0 to a maximum value.

翻译：通过数据驱动策略传递环境信息以鼓励生态友好生活方式的兴趣日益增长。这一目标催生了能够体现环境目的的数据可视化方法。例如，已有研究提出了自然启发的计数器、仪表和位图，但数据序列的可视化仍有待探索。因此，我们能否设计并实现有效的植物形态图表？本文通过研究型设计方法探索设计空间以最大化可读性与美学效果，并给出了答案。研究进一步比较了四种图表原型在模态和材料维度上的表现，通过问卷调查用户对可再生能源预测场景的感知。实验结果揭示了物理图表相较于图形图表的实施价值，以及使用能唤起可持续性与增强自然感的有意义材料的优势。同时，研究重新验证了物理图表中前人对图形信息图的发现：装饰性图表虽清晰度与可读性略低，但美学性更高。此外，通过折叠形状对编码速率的学习性进行了评估。研究表明，植物形态的物理图表具有价值——当材料能够实现低技术层面感知时，其性能表现优异且自然感最佳；同时，若折叠形状可编码0至最大值的速率范围，此类图表可在无需解释的情况下安装于公共场所。