QueryMarvel: A visual query language for temporal patterns using comic strips

TL;DR: QueryMarvel is an interactive visual query environment that allows ordinary users to easily and efficiently specify complex temporal patterns and uses and extends the semantic elements and rules of comic strips with the goal to make specifying and interpreting temporal patterns as easy as reading and writing a comic story.

Abstract: In many domains, decision makers want to find and understand patterns of events as these patterns often give insight into the causal relationships among events. Current systems to specify patterns are either too difficult to use or only support simple patterns. We present QueryMarvel, an interactive visual query environment that allows ordinary users to easily and efficiently specify complex temporal patterns. It uses and extends the semantic elements and rules of comic strips with the goal to make specifying and interpreting temporal patterns as easy as reading and writing a comic story. User tests show that using QueryMarvel, users can understand and create temporal patterns faster and with fewer errors than using a form-based interface.