Participatory Visualization with Wordle

• Published in: IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics Vol. 15; no. 6; pp. 1137 - 1144
• Main Authors: Viegas, F.B., Wattenberg, M., Feinberg, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01-11-2009; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Algorithms; Color; Criteria; Displays; educational visualization; memory; participatory culture; social data analysis; tag cloud; text; Texts; Typography; Visualization
• ISSN: 1077-2626; 1941-0506
• DOI: 10.1109/TVCG.2009.171

We discuss the design and usage of ldquoWordle,rdquo a Web-based tool for visualizing text. Wordle creates tag-cloud-like displays that give careful attention to typography, color, and composition. We describe the algorithms used to balance various aesthetic criteria and create the distinctive Wordle layouts. We then present the results of a study of Wordle usage, based both on spontaneous behaviour observed in the wild, and on a large-scale survey of Wordle users. The results suggest that Wordles have become a kind of medium of expression, and that a ldquoparticipatory culturerdquo has arisen around them.