Interactive graphics for the Macintosh: Software review of flexigraphs

• Published in: Research in Developmental Disabilities Vol. 11; no. 4; pp. 411 - 419
• Main Author: Antonak, Richard F.
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Ltd 1990; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Computer Graphics; Computer science; control theory; systems; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Exact sciences and technology; Humans; Microcomputers; Office automation, teleprocessing; Software; Graphics; Software package; Two dimensional space; Software; Menu; Interactive mode
• ISSN: 0891-4222; 1873-3379
• DOI: 10.1016/0891-4222(90)90026-5

To display a set of data and its features directly to an audience, or to represent a relation in a set of data, individuals in business, journalism, and government typically rely on a graph. The FlexiGraphs software package for the Macintosh family of computers provides the means to construct three of the most commonly used two-dimensional graphs: pie charts, bar graphs, and line graphs. FlexiGraphs is unique, however, in its attempt to provide the Macintosh user with interactive editing of a graph using graphical instead of numeric manipulation of data. Not only can the user construct graphical representations of data, but can also draw a desired graph and then let the program determine the data points. Characteristics of the distribution can be constrained and then individual data points or sets of data points can be edited to visualize the effects of data manipulations (e.g., growth projections or cumulative losses).