Video | Tableau | Data visualisation | Industry trends | AI & ML

Tableau Augmented Reality Chironomia Demo | Tableau Conference

Tableau saved the best till last — an augmented reality demo, on a plain webcam, that genuinely blew my mind and made me eat my words.

Part ofTableau Conference 2023
  • Tableau's AR demo runs on commodity hardware — a standard laptop webcam, no headset, HoloLens or special staging required, and is designed to work in Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, WebEx and Slack Huddles
  • The interface lets you pinch to pull dimensions and measures (country, in-person, virtual) into drop zones, draw reference lines with your finger, link bar charts to scatter plots, and pinch open a 3D globe choropleth
  • The technique is called augmented Chironomia, researched by Matthew Bremer and team at Tableau, and works by one-to-one mirroring the WebView back to the presenter so they can see what they're controlling
  • Tableau reportedly won the Gartner BI Bake Off comfortably, largely on the strength of this demo against rivals including Microsoft's HoloLens approach
  • Tableau's discontinued Visible iPad app had gesture-based interactions that could pair brilliantly with this AR technology in future

I’ve had some great feedback about the term Chironomia: “Chironomia refers to the art of manual rhetoric, a term that is attributed to Cicero. The first part of the word is similar to a chiropractor. We “augment” this by allowing one’s manual motion to simultaneously highlight and manipulate foreground visuals.”

Academic paper HTML : https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3526113.3545614 Academic paper PDF :  https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3526113.3545614 LinkedIn Post: https://bit.ly/3MK6L8b Tableau Blog Post: https://tabsoft.co/3zZGwDa Using Augmented Reality for Touchless Interaction with Visualizations: https://tabsoft.co/3MMJZwm Tableau research: https://tabsoft.co/3MFMj8v 30-Second Video: https://vimeo.com/738009222 5 Minute video: https://vimeo.com/737703966 Tableau Vizable: https://tabsoft.co/3UyWkGp Tableau Vizable video: https://vimeo.com/164589911

What’s New in Tableau’s AR?

What makes this announcement notable is the unveiling of a new user interface that integrates data directly into the conversation. As demonstrated by Matt, a presenter at the conference, this AR feature requires no special equipment — just a standard webcam found on any laptop. This opens up the technology to work in everyday tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.

In the demonstration, Matt points his finger towards the camera, and the system recognises it, putting a small dot on the screen. This dot is then used to highlight Tableau, which opens up dimensions and measures of the data, such as country, in-person, virtual, and early bird.

Breaking Down Barriers in Data Presentation

The essence of this development is about breaking down the barriers between presenter, audience, and data. Traditional data presentation often involves sharing a screen or presenting something separate from the presenter, which can hinder the natural flow of conversation. This new feature allows users to narrate their data and visually show audiences what they are talking about, leading to more interactive and engaging presentations.

A Live Demo: No Smoke and Mirrors

The best part about this AR feature is that it was demonstrated live, with no cooked results. Matt created a data set about the top countries attending the conference outside of the U.S., and manipulated the data in real-time. He drew reference lines in the air with his finger, added elements, and even created a 3D globe, all with simple gestures.

No Fancy Hardware Required

One of the significant takeaways from this demonstration is that unlike other AR technologies, which often require headsets or specific hardware, Tableau’s AR feature works with commodity hardware — a standard webcam and laptop. This makes it accessible and affordable to a much larger audience.

The Impact on the BI Space

Tableau’s AR demo created a significant buzz in the BI community. In a BI bake-off event with Gartner, where analytical tools were tested against each other with the same data set, Tableau’s AR feature reportedly outshone its competitors, further establishing its innovative approach to data visualisation.

A New Way to Infuse Data in Conversations

With this technology, data can be infused into the conversation, enabling presenters to interact with their data in real-time and make it a part of their narrative. This goes beyond merely sharing data to creating a truly immersive data-driven conversation.

‍ Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:23 The Demo 7:39 Thoughts & Apology

Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HYxRWmaNlJux-X7rNLZyw/join