  We develop a new perspective on research conducted through visualization
design study that emphasizes design as a method of inquiry and the broad range
of knowledge-contributions achieved through it as multiple, subjective, and
socially constructed. From this interpretivist position we explore the nature
of visualization design study and develop six criteria for rigor. We propose
that rigor is established and judged according to the extent to which
visualization design study research and its reporting are INFORMED, REFLEXIVE,
ABUNDANT, PLAUSIBLE, RESONANT, and TRANSPARENT. This perspective and the
criteria were constructed through a four-year engagement with the discourse
around rigor and the nature of knowledge in social science, information
systems, and design. We suggest methods from cognate disciplines that can
support visualization researchers in meeting these criteria during the
planning, execution, and reporting of design study. Through a series of
deliberately provocative questions, we explore implications of this new
perspective for design study research in visualization, concluding that as a
discipline, visualization is not yet well positioned to embrace, nurture, and
fully benefit from a rigorous, interpretivist approach to design study. The
perspective and criteria we present are intended to stimulate dialogue and
debate around the nature of visualization design study and the broader
underpinnings of the discipline.
