"I Need to Find That One Chart": How DataWorkers Navigate, Summarize and Communicate Analytical Conversations
The ACM CHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Barcelona, April 13-17, 2026)
Conversational interfaces are increasingly used for data analysis, enabling data workers to express complex analytical intents in naturalvlanguage. Yet, these interactions unfold as long, linear transcripts that are misaligned with the iterative, nonlinear nature of real-world analyses. Revisiting and summarizing conversations for different contexts is therefore challenging. This paper investigates how data workers navigate, make sense of, and communicate prior analytical conversations. To study behaviors beyond those supported by standard interfaces (i.e., scrolling and keyword search), we develop a design probe that supplements analytical conversations with structured elements and affordances (e.g., filtering, multi-level navigation and detail-on-demand). In a user study (𝑛 = 10), participants used the probe to navigate and communicate past analyses, fulfilling information needs (recall, reorient, prioritize) through navigation strategies (visual recall, sequential and abstractive) and summarization practices (adding process details and context). Based on these findings, we discuss design implications to support re-visitation and communication of analytical conversations.
Tableau-auteur(s)
Auteur(s)
Ken Gu, Srishti Palani, Vidya Setlur