  Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been broadly utilized to analyze
various data and solve different domain problems. However, neural networks
(NNs) have been considered a black box operation for years because their
underlying computation and meaning are hidden. Due to this nature, users often
face difficulties in interpreting the underlying mechanism of the NNs and the
benefits of using them. In this paper, to improve users' learning and
understanding of NNs, an interactive learning system is designed to create
digit patterns and recognize them in real time. To help users clearly
understand the visual differences of digit patterns (i.e., 0 ~ 9) and their
results with an NN, integrating visualization is considered to present all
digit patterns in a two-dimensional display space with supporting multiple user
interactions. An evaluation with multiple datasets is conducted to determine
its usability for active learning. In addition, informal user testing is
managed during a summer workshop by asking the workshop participants to use the
system.
