Visualizing information helps form a mental image of the information space. If the visualization is undertaken in an interface whose aim is information retrieval, the expression used for this type of system is VIRI (Visual Information Retrieval Interface). Information visualization offers visual representations that communicate information in a fast and effective way. This paper presents multiple techniques that accomplish this task and that make the process of information retrieval more comprehensible and on occasions, more interactive.

Information visualization. Ways of searching, Information retrieval. VIRIs.