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This study addresses the challenge of designing data visualizations for RTL audiences, whose reading habits can lead to misinterpretation of visual elements like timelines and directional data. Through experiments with direction-sensitive and direction-free stimuli, we examined differences in visual interpretation between RTL and LTR readers. The results highlight a significant effect of reading direction on perception, underscoring the need for adaptive visualization techniques that support diverse reading directions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1145\/3759155","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,7]],"date-time":"2025-08-07T22:09:02Z","timestamp":1754604542000},"page":"1-13","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Reading Direction Shapes Data Visualization Perception: Insights from Right-to-Left and Left-to-Right User Studies"],"prefix":"10.1145","volume":"23","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-7721-5175","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Boris","family":"Gorelik","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Software Engineering, Azrieli College of Engineering Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-5740-8784","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nabeel","family":"Sulieman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, Seattle, Washington, USA"}]}],"member":"320","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_1_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1167\/16.11.8"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Zohar-Shai Bar Joseph Tzelgov Avi Karni and Orly Rubinsten. 2017. 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