ABSTRACT
Sentences are like lines; both are sequences. Text can be placed directly on the path of a line in a visualization. Historically, text has been placed along paths for half a millennia and from the early line charts from William Playfair. Use of color to differentiate lines does not scale beyond ten or so lines, and small multiples also have issues. Instead, in line charts with many lines, text can be used along the path to aid differentiation and identification of the various lines. Further, text can be searched, highlighted, and re-ordered so that lines of interest are legible and readable. The text can also show longer content, such as sentences, to provide more detail. The approach can extend to any line-based visualizations such as contour plots, parallel coordinate plots, spider charts, edges on graphs, subway diagrams, and so on. Examples include financial market data, social media, and news headlines.
