Visual quality metrics

The definition and usage of quality metrics for Information Visualization techniques is still an immature field. Several proposals are available but a common view and understanding of this issue is still missing. This paper attempts a first step toward a visual quality metrics systematization, providing a general classification of both metrics and usage purposes. Moreover, the paper explores a quite neglected class of visual quality metrics, namely Feature Preservation Metrics, that allow for evaluating and improving in a novel way the effectiveness of basic Infovis techniques.