  Dynamic networks can be challenging to analyze visually, especially if they
span a large time range during which new nodes and edges can appear and
disappear. Although it is straightforward to provide interfaces for
visualization that represent multiple states of the network (i.e., multiple
timeslices) either simultaneously (e.g., through small multiples) or
interactively (e.g., through interactive animation), these interfaces might not
support tasks in which disjoint timeslices need to be compared. Since these
tasks are key for understanding the dynamic aspects of the network,
understanding which interactive visualizations best support these tasks is
important. We present the results of a series of laboratory experiments
comparing two traditional approaches (small multiples and interactive
animation), with a more recent approach based on interactive timeslicing. The
tasks were performed on a large display through a touch interface. Participants
completed 24 trials of three tasks with all techniques. The results show that
interactive timeslicing brings benefit when comparing distant points in time,
but less benefits when analyzing contiguous intervals of time.
