Research

Behavioral Science of Data Visualization

Data does not speak for itself. The way it is shown changes how people perceive it and respond to it. These changes are the space I study.

As said, a chart is never just a chart. Its design can make data feel clear or complex, credible or uncertain, persuasive or easy to ignore. My research examines how data visualization design choices affect people’s perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

My work combines behavioral experiments, survey methods, and quantitative modeling to understand how people respond to visualized data. More broadly, I work at the intersection of consumer behavior and information design.

The goal is not just to make data look better. It is to understand and predict how twists in data presentation become meaningful, credible, and actionable data visualizations.

Reports

Pignard-Cheynel, Nathalie, Diégo Arthur Antolinos Basso, Adrian Bangerter, et al. (2026), “Communiquer les données en temps de crise sanitaire,” report, PANDA project, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Conference proceedings

Gruttad’Auria, Giuseppe, Michael Puntiroli, Adrian Bangerter, Adrian Holzer, and Valéry Bezençon (2025), “Does Uncertain Data Prevent Belief Update? Displaying Uncertainty in Data Visualizations Decreases Belief Update via Lower Processing Fluency but Increases It Through Trust Among the Highly Numerate,” in Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 53, forthcoming.

ACR format: Competitive Paper, CP15 presentation.

Gruttad’Auria, Giuseppe, Michael Puntiroli, Adrian Bangerter, Adrian Holzer, and Valéry Bezençon (2024), “More Statistically Accurate, Yet Harder to Process? The Impact of Uncertainty in Data Visualizations on Consumer Responses,” in Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 52, ed. Joseph K. Goodman, Hilke Plassmann, and Cristel A. Russell, Duluth, MN: Association for Consumer Research, 1064.

ACR format: Working Paper, poster presentation.

Theses

Gruttad’Auria, Giuseppe (2022), “Public Policies to Contain the Covid-19 Pandemic and Air Pollution: The Impact of Lockdowns in Northern Italy and Switzerland,” master’s thesis, Department of Law and Political, Economic, and Social Sciences, University of Eastern Piedmont, Alessandria, Italy, and Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.

Research talks

NRP 80 Conference: Covid-19 in Society

Understanding How Audiences Respond to Data Narratives

Kursaal Bern, Switzerland

IMN Research Seminars

How Data Visualization Features Influence Individual Perceptions and Attitudes

Institute of Management, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland

IMN Research Seminars

How Uncertainty in Data Visualization Affects Consumer Responses

Institute of Management, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland

11th Young Scholars Workshop in Behavioral Economics and Experimental Research

More Statistically Accurate, Yet Harder to Process? How Uncertainty in Data Visualizations Affects Consumer Responses

Seiler's Vintage Hotel, Kandersteg, Switzerland

Department of Marketing (DMK) off-site event, HEC Lausanne

More Statistically Accurate, Yet Harder to Process? How Uncertainty in Data Visualizations Affects Consumer Responses

Fondazione Monte Verità, Ascona, Switzerland

10th Young Scholars Workshop in Behavioral Economics and Experimental Research

How Do Different Parameters of Narrative Visualization Affect Readers’ Comprehension and Responses

Seiler's Vintage Hotel, Kandersteg, Switzerland

Grants and funded projects

Research profiles

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Some manuscripts may be available upon request while they are still in progress.